Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matt Stafford will not start Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers because of a UCL sprain, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Brett Rypien will start under center for Los Angeles.

Stafford suffered the UCL sprain in his right thumb during his team's 43-20 loss at the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. Rypien took over down the stretch.

Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters the next day that Stafford was "day-to-day." Stafford did not practice on Wednesday due to the ailment in the lead-in to the matchup against the Packers.

Rypien completed 5-of-10 passes for 42 yards in Stafford's place versus Dallas.

The 27-year-old is in his fourth NFL season after spending three years with the Denver Broncos. For his career, the ex-Boise State star has completed 85-of-140 passes (60.7 percent) for 820 yards, four touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine games.

With Rams rookie Stetson Bennett still on the Reserve/NFI list, L.A. signed a third quarterback in Dresser Winn to its practice squad.

Winn signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Tennessee-Martin and stuck with the team through training camp before being cut.

The rookie completed 232-of-379 passes (61.2 percent) for 2,928 yards and 18 touchdowns (11 interceptions) during his final collegiate season.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford hasn't officially been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Green Bay Packers despite nursing a thumb injury, head coach Sean McVay told reporters Wednesday.

"We're just taking it a day at a time," McVay said. "You give it until right before the game."

Stafford injured his right thumb in an Oct. 29 loss to the Dallas Cowboys while making a catch on a two-point conversion. He went to the locker room after the play and reemerged on the sideline with tape on his right hand.

Stafford was unable to finish the game and was replaced by backup signal-caller Brett Rypien.

McVay told reporters after the game:

If in fact it is going to be an injury that leaves him out, the first thing he's worried about is feeling like 'I'm going to let people down. This guy is the ultimate competitor. Couldn't respect or love anybody as much as I love this guy in regards to what he means to this team as a person first and then as a player second.

And so hopefully he's going to be OK. If not, then we'll figure out what the next move is for us, and sometimes that's how things go and that's the unfortunate part of sports depending upon how we move forward.

Stafford missed eight games last season due to injury and ended the year on injured reserve with a spinal cord contusion. The Rams finished the campaign with a 5-12 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Through eight games this season, Stafford has struggled, completing 59.7 percent of his passes for 2,070 yards and eight touchdowns against seven interceptions. As a result, the Rams are third in the NFC West with a 3-5 record.

Los Angeles Rams star Matthew Stafford is day-to-day after suffering a UCL sprain in his right thumb Sunday's 43-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, head coach Sean McVay said on Monday.

That appears to be relatively good news, as The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue previously reported the team was not ruling out placing the veteran on injured reserve as it waited for more details on the injury.

Stafford exited the contest and made way for Brett Rypien, who went 5-of-10 for 42 yards in his brief cameo.

This continues a growing trend for the veteran signal-caller.

Stafford was limited to nine appearances in 2022 thanks to a concussion and a subsequent back injury. Before the year started, he had undergone a minor procedure on his elbow as well.

Many fans wondered whether the Rams' championship window was closed after they finished 5-12. Perhaps the franchise already hit its peak with its Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Jalen Ramsey's trade to the Miami Dolphins removed another key piece from that run.

Los Angeles is nevertheless still looking to win something in the present with head coach Sean McVay and a core of Stafford, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp.

Both because of his individual value and what's behind him in the depth chart, Stafford might be the single most important member of the roster.

If the 35-year-old misses any time, the Rams would have to turn to Rypien or Stetson Bennett as their new starting quarterback. Rypien has made three NFL starts to this point in his career, and Bennett is a fourth-round draft pick who enjoyed huge success in college but didn't post overwhelming numbers.

Neither is ideally suited to guide the offense for a team that presumably maintains playoff aspirations.