Matthew Stafford’s Injury Woes Push Sean McVay to Quietly Consider Jimmy Garoppolo vs Texans

Matthew Stafford will be leading the Rams as the team’s QB1 as they approach the season opener against the AFC rivals Texans. After weeks of uncertainty due to Stafford’s back injury, Sean McVay finally appears to have a firm decision. However, the decision comes with a well-crafted plan as well. Just in case Stafford’s injury decides to flare up, the HC already has a backup all set to replace his QB1. After all, they can’t put their Super Bowl desires on the line one more time. Raiders‘ former RB Maurice Jones-Drew confirmed that the Rams HC is already one step ahead, as he has complete faith in his backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo.

During a breakdown of the Rams-Texans Matchup Expectations, the 3x Pro Bowl winner referenced the Week 18 game the Rams played against the Seattle Seahawks last year, where Garoppolo was given the reins. “I believe and I feel in talking to Sean that they’re super confident and comfortable with Jimmy Garoppolo running their offense. And let’s remember going back to last year, week 18, they put up what 20 some odd points against the Seahawks and their starters, right? So, you feel comfortable in that aspect,” he noted

Now, what does this Week 18 game from last season tell us? The Rams chose to sit Stafford and put Garoppolo under center against the Seahawks. While the team lost 30-25, it gave a glimpse of what the backup quarterback can do. Garoppolo finished 27-of-41 for 334 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, making the matchup their highest single-game mark in the 2024 season. The Rams also generated a 44.8% pressure rate, their best since Week 11 against the Patriots.

Sean McVay also addressed the move on Up & Adams, explained, “There’s no doubt in my mind he is a starting quarterback in this league, and I think he’ll get a chance to be able to do that again and show, you know, Week 18 last year, right? Yeah, I mean, but you look at what he did in that game, right? Seattle’s an upper-echelon defense, and he did a heck of a job of giving us a chance to almost pull that thing off, and that’s who he is, and he’s done a great job.”

McVay’s decision to put his faith in Garoppolo shows that the QB is capable of starting. To nobody’s surprise, it isn’t just the HC who trusts their QB2. QB1 Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly, also approves of the Rams QB2. On Tuesday, September 2, episode of her “The Morning After” podcast, Stafford’s wife remarked, “QB 1 is Matthew Stafford. QB 2 is Jimmy Garoppolo — for those women listening, yes, he is the hot one.” She also highlighted how her QB husband has a good rapport with his fellow team players, noting, “A good quarterback room who has been together and has chemistry and they have fun, which is great. That’s what you want. You want your quarterback to relax and enjoy himself and when you have a QB room, you can do that.”

And well, having a quarterback of Garoppolo’s caliber behind Stafford allows the Rams to have a strong offense.

Despite Injury Scare, Matthew Stafford Is Ready to Play

After Wednesday’s practice, Stafford made it clear that he’s ready to play and isn’t concerned about the physical toll. “Oh, I’m going to go play the game. Whatever happens, happens. I’m playing like I always play. I got no issues with a physical game. Obviously, would love to stay as clean as possible, but I’m not thinking twice about that at all. I’m out there ready to go play,” he told the reporters.

While he has been fully participating in practice for the last two weeks and getting gradually better, the 37-year-old quarterback’s age and injury history have also continued to raise questions about his ability to play in a full 17-game season. Just recently, Tyler Dragon explained that back injuries, such as bulging discs or hernias, can flare up with repeated hits, and those hits can affect Stafford.

“They don’t get better over the course of the season. And when you accumulate all those hits and all those sacks, you can easily re-aggravate it,” Dragon said. So, while Stafford appears healthy, the Rams coaching staff will have to carefully monitor the QB’s routine. For now, Stafford will be the starting quarterback. And if he were to miss any games, McVay has another starting-caliber QB ready to back up the team.