Key Rams injury could set stage for a showdown with former 49ers QB

The Los Angeles Rams announced that quarterback Matthew Stafford did not finish practice on Wednesday due to a hamstring issue.

While the move was precautionary, it instantly led to speculation about Stafford's backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, facing the Niners in Week 3.

Garoppolo is indeed back in the NFC West. The Rams signed him to be the backup for Stafford after a tumultuous, one-season disaster with the Las Vegas Raiders. Garoppolo struggled immensely on the field and was eventually benched in favor of Aidan O'Connell before Vegas parted ways with him earlier in the offseason.

It seemed like a low point in Garoppolo's career, but then it was announced that Garoppolo would be suspended due to PED use for the first two games of the 2024 regular season. Yet, even after that, the Rams still signed him knowing that he would be unavailable for the first two weeks.

Following Garoppolo on LA's depth chart Stetson Bennett, the University of Georgia product who helped lead the Bulldogs to a national championship. While Bennett had success in college on a very good team, he is very unproven in the NFL and had a four-interception performance in the first Rams preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Stafford most likely will be fine, and this move by the Rams was simply an effort to prevent any further aggravation of his hamstring.

But let's say that Stafford's injury lingers and he is unable to play in Week 1 or maybe even the first month of the season. Let's get a little crazy for a second.

Maybe the Rams feel Bennett is not ready for starting duties, so they shop around for a temporary replacement and end up landing another former Niners signal-caller, Trey Lance, in a trade with the Cowboys. Lance plays decent enough in the first two weeks of the season to where it is a tossup going into Week 3 as to who will start between him and Garoppolo who will be eligible to play after his suspension.

So we have a Lance/Garoppolo QB controversy yet again, but this time with the Rams instead of the Niners.

Of course, that is practically just an exercise in fan fiction. But it is certainly not impossible that we could see Garoppolo face the Niners at some point this season. At 36 years old, Stafford is no spring chicken, so if he goes down then we all get to see Jimmy G go out with that big smile of his and try to win some football games for the bad guys.

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