NFL analyst says Rams can still win NFC West with Jimmy Garoppolo under center

USA Today

6 days ago

While there's no cause for alarm yet, the Los Angeles Rams have rolled out backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as their starter during the first week of training camp while Matthew Stafford recovers from a back injury. The Rams don't appear to be worried about Stafford's ability to play in Week 1, but that hasn't stopped the speculation about what the team would look like if Garoppolo started the majority of games L.A.
NFL analyst Chris Brockman, though, said he thinks the Rams could still win the NFC West with Garoppolo under center. He asked Rich Eisen if this idea was an overreaction or not, to which the veteran analyst agreed and added, 'That's why they have him. That's why he's a backstop.'
However, Eisen qualified this assessment by noting that it likely won't come to this if Stafford's injury is as the Rams have advertised. "Talk to me if he doesn't even practice over the next two to three weeks," Eisen said.
While Garoppolo more than likely won't be the Rams' Week 1 starter, it's worth looking at his body of work as an indication of whether he could be successful for L.A. in Stafford's place. Garoppolo lost his only game as the Rams' starter in 2024 — a meaningless Week 18 match where the Rams benched all their starters — but threw for 334 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Garoppolo started 63 other games in his career, including 55 with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2022. He went 38-17 over that stretch as well as 4-2 in the playoffs with one Super Bowl appearance in 2020 and an NFC championship appearance in 2021 (where he lost to the Rams).
If Garoppolo needed to start, he'd have arguably one of the better rosters at his disposal with Davante Adams, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams as his main skill position players. The offensive line is solid as well.
This wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, and head coach Sean McVay has said Garoppolo is a starter-level player a lot recently. But the Rams' caution with Stafford's injury is more of an indication they'd prefer their current starter to be well-rested and healed before the 2025 season so they don't have to turn to Garoppolo this year. L.A. went 2-6 in the games Stafford missed in 2022 and finished with just five wins as he battled injures all year.
Garoppolo is solid insurance to prevent that type of catastrophe again, but the Rams don't want it ever to come to that in a season that they hope ends with another Super Bowl rin.