Jimmy Garoppolo will make his debut for the Rams when he starts in place of Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles’ regular-season finale against Seattle on Sunday.
Coach Sean McVay announced the decision on Wednesday, saying that Stafford, the 16-year veteran, will be rested. The Rams have not yet decided which other starters will sit out.
Los Angeles (10-6) has already secured the NFC West title over the Seahawks (9-7) thanks to their strength of schedule. The Rams are currently the third seed in the NFC playoff race but could drop to the fourth seed if they lose to Seattle and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) beat Atlanta to win the NFC South.
The wild-card seeding is still uncertain among Minnesota, Washington, and Green Bay, so McVay seems unconcerned whether the Rams enter the playoffs as the third or fourth seed.
Garoppolo has not played for the Rams since signing with them last spring to back up Stafford. The 33-year-old veteran, who led San Francisco to Super Bowl 54, missed the first two games of his first season with the Rams after being suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Stafford has played every snap this season for the Rams, who have won nine of their last 11 games to make the playoffs for the third time in his four years with Los Angeles. Stafford has 3,762 passing yards and 20 touchdowns this season, both his lowest totals in a season with at least 15 games.
However, his eight interceptions are also his fewest in a nearly full season, and his completion rate (65.8 percent) is above his career average.
Stafford improved to 13-1 as a starter in Rams games played in December when Los Angeles beat Arizona 13-9 last Saturday. However, his offense has struggled recently. The Rams have scored more than 21 points just once during their five-game winning streak and have scored only three touchdowns in their last three games combined.
Los Angeles’ third-string quarterback is Stetson Bennett, the two-time national champion from Georgia, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2023. Bennett has not played for the Rams yet, having missed all of last season due to undisclosed personal reasons.
