The Los Angeles Rams suffered a defeat against the Green Bay Packers, with their starting quarterback Matthew Stafford sidelined due to a thumb injury.
Unfortunately, Stafford was ruled out on Sunday after sustaining a UCL sprain in his right thumb during the previous game against the Dallas Cowboys. In his absence, Brett Rypien took the field as the backup quarterback, but the Rams fell short with a final score of 20-3 at Lambeau Field.
Stafford’s injury occurred in the second quarter of the Cowboys game when his thumb collided with the helmet of defensive lineman Mazi Smith. Despite going to the locker room for evaluation, Stafford displayed his toughness by returning to play the entire second half.
In order to prioritize Stafford’s recovery, the Rams took a cautious approach this week by keeping him out of practice and marking him as questionable for the Packers game on Friday. The good news is that the Rams have a bye week ahead, granting Stafford two weeks to heal before their next matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 19.
On Sunday, Rypien struggled to generate much offense, finishing the game with 13-of-28 completions for 130 yards and an interception.
This marks the first game missed by Stafford in the current season, after sitting out eight games last year due to a concussion and a spinal cord contusion.
Prior to his performance on Sunday, Rypien had appeared in nine career games, starting three of them. During this time, he accumulated 820 passing yards, completing 60.7% of his passes, with an average of 5.9 yards per attempt. He threw four touchdowns and, unfortunately, eight interceptions. Notably, Rypien had a 2-1 record as a starter with his previous team, the Denver Broncos.
