With starter Matthew Stafford out with a thumb injury, the Los Angeles Rams enter Week 9 with a quarterback question mark. However, according to several NFL sources, the veteran will sit this one out unless something unexpected happens.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, backup Brett Rypien will start in place of Stafford against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
The Rams haven’t ruled out Stafford, but Rapoport says that “unless Stafford surprises,” Rypien will be the starter. The report backs up the Rams’ most recent update on Stafford, which came earlier this week. After missing an entire week of practice, head coach Sean McVay was vague but upbeat about Stafford’s status on Friday, telling reporters the veteran signal-caller was “fine.”
McVay explained that the team expected Stafford to miss practice and would make a decision on who would start the game at the last minute.
However, when pressed on the subject, McVay did not rule out the possibility of knowing whether or not Stafford would be able to play well before kickoff.
“Could we have a feeling on Saturday night that he’s not going to go?” “I’m not going to sit here and say that couldn’t be a possibility,” McVay said, according to the Rams.
Stafford sprained his UCL on his throwing hand in the Rams’ Week 8 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Rypien came in as a relief player and went 5-of-10 for 42 yards, leading four drives in the second half.
If Rypien does get the start, it will not be his first in the NFL. Over four seasons, the 27-year-old has three starts and a 2-1 record with 62 percent completions (64-of-103), 664 passing yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions for a 70.2 passer rating. Rypien started all three games for the Denver Broncos, one as a rookie in 2020 and two in 2022.
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