The Rams “are not ruling out” IR for QB Matthew Stafford

According to The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, who covers the Los Angeles Rams, the Rams “are not ruling out” injured reserve for quarterback Matthew Stafford — who left Week 8 action with a thumb injury this past weekend. Per Rodrigue, “chillier conditions in [Green Bay] combined with a bye week after” is a factor in the decision.

So far in 2023, Stafford has thrown 278 passes for 2,070 yards (7.4 yards per attempt) to go along with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. On the year, the Rams are 3-5 in Stafford starts. While that isn’t a great mark, there should be a significant dropoff in quarterback play if Stafford can’t suit up for the Rams this weekend.

Los Angeles’ backup option is Brett Rypien, the former Denver Broncos backup quarterback. In his NFL career, Rypien has thrown 140 balls for 820 yards (5.9 yards per attempt), four touchdowns and eight interceptions. His career passer rating is 62.8, which for perspective would rank second-to-last league-wide in the NFL — only ahead of the Cleveland Browns’ season-long figure in 2023.

The Green Bay Packers, the Rams’ next opponent, are desperately looking for a win this weekend. Sitting at 2-5, head coach Matt LaFleur’s seat is starting to heat up following the team’s fourth consecutive loss with the team dropping five of their last games.

Stafford missing the game won’t fix Green Bay’s offensive problems, but facing a Rypien offense does provide an opportunity to play in a low-scoring game. Over the Packers’ last three losses, though, their opponents have only averaged 20 points per game, so even with Rypien under center, a Rams-Packers matchup could be a race to 14 points.