Matthew Stafford Expected to sit out in Week 18

Published: 2024-12-31 11:51:06

Stafford isn't expected to play in Sunday against the Seahawks after head coach Sean McVay confirmed Monday that he plans on resting most of the Rams' key starters for the regular-season finale, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports. "Typically, we've erred on the side of leaning a little bit more towards [resting players] and I would imagine as we continue to finalize our plans, that's probably the direction we'll go," McVay said, when pressed about the Rams' plans for Week 18.

While they can claim the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs with a win over the Seahawks, the Rams are already assured no worse than the fourth seed -- and the home game in the wild-card round that comes with it -- after having already clinched the NFC West title. McVay suggested that he'll prioritize resting the team's top players and avoiding injuries for Week 18 rather than going all in on securing the No. 3 seed, an approach similar to the ones the Rams took in 2017 and 2023, when the team had little incentive at stake in regular-season finales. While McVay didn't specifically mention that Stafford would sit out, the coach said that he was excited to see what backup Jimmy Garoppolo could do in his first extended snaps as a member of the Rams. The Rams also have a third quarterback in Stetson Bennett on the roster, so Stafford will most likely be a healthy inactive for the matchup with the Seahawks rather than suiting up as Garoppolo's top backup.

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