The Los Angeles Rams started out losing six of the first nine games and appeared headed to a second straight season without a postseason berth. Matthew Stafford missed the Week 9 loss to the Green Bay Packers with a thumb injury.
After a bye week, Stafford returned to lead the Rams to six wins in seven games and clinch a Wild Card spot last week. The team has decided to sit Stafford against the San Francisco 49ers this week.
Why Is Matthew Stafford Not Playing?
Even though the Rams are not locked into a postseason seed, they decided to give Stafford and other veterans a week to rest ahead of the playoffs. Running back Kyren Williams, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and linebacker Ernest Jones will also not play today. The reason the team listed on the injury report for all five players is “not injury-related.”
When explaining the decision to sit key players, Rams head coach Sean McVay said, “I think when you look at the projections, I think they’re excellent teams regardless.”
Los Angeles will be the sixth or seventh seed in the NFC and will play on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, or Detroit Lions. The Rams lost to the Cowboys and Eagles during the regular season.
McVay added, “There’s a couple layers to it, and when you look at it, what we just felt like was this approach is the best one for our team. You want to see guys go compete and do well, but that was what we felt like.”
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is 29 receiving yards away from breaking the rookie record set of 1,473 receiving yards set in 1960 by Houston Oilers wide receiver Bill Groman.
He has 101 receptions and needs four to break Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle’s rookie record. Nacua is expected to play and be removed after breaking both records.
MORE: Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart
The Rams will be the sixth seed with a win against the 49ers or a Green Bay Packers loss to the Chicago Bears. If the Rams lose and the Packers win, the two teams will be 9-8, and Green Bay will be the sixth seed based on their Week 9 win over the Rams.
The 49ers are also sitting several key players who are dealing injuries, but the team has already clinched home-field advantage in the NFC.
Stafford Playing Well After Bye Week
In the first eight games of the season, Stafford completed 59.7% of his passes with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He injured his thumb in the eighth game against the Cowboys and missed Week 9.
After the bye week, Stafford returned to start Week 10, when the Rams upset the Seattle Seahawks. The game was the beginning of a 6-1 stretch for Los Angeles, with the only loss being on the road to the Baltimore Ravens in overtime.
Stafford has a 65.8% completion rate with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in the last seven games. This run has led the Rams to the playoffs and Stafford to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career.
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