While San Francisco 49ers fans may be feeling the doom and gloom surrounding all their injuries during training camp and the preseason, at least they don't have to worry about the situation the Los Angeles Rams are dealing with under center with their franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
Niners fans should still be monitoring what's going on down in SoCal, though.
Not long ago, statements from L.A.'s head coach, Sean McVay, made it seem as if Stafford would be cleared from a back injury in time for Week 1 of the regular season, which in turn, eliminated the likelihood of backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo squaring off against San Francisco when the two teams meet on Thursday Night Football in Week 5 from SoFI Stadium.
Yet the latest scuttlebutt from Los Angeles is pointing at not-so-good news on the Stafford front, at least for Rams fans.
After a recent workout, the 37-year-old veteran's back stiffened up, which resulted in him spending time in an ammortal chamber, and that sounds interesting enough. And Stafford has yet to resume practicing with his teammates despite McVay's earlier comments about the quarterback's imminent return.
Then, to quote Rams insider D'Marco Farr on Good Morning Football, "This is not nothing, it could be a big deal."
"This is not nothing, it could be a big deal"
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) August 12, 2025
Rams legend @DMarcoFarr1 keeps us up to date on Matthew Stafford's lingering back injury #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/JaFo6FUp7D
The closer the regular season draws near without Stafford on the field, the bigger the likelihood of Jimmy G seeing some significant playing time early.
Will Jimmy Garoppolo play the 49ers in Week 5?
Garoppolo, who's in year two of his L.A. tenure after re-signing there during the offseason, spent 2017 through 2022 with the 49ers, helping stabilize the franchise under center and being part of three playoff teams and one Super Bowl appearance.
Yet injuries and underperformance, combined with the emergence of quarterback Brock Purdy in 2022 led to Jimmy G's unceremonious departure from the Bay Area in 2023, and it's safe to say there's no love lost between the two sides.
So, will Garoppolo actually square off against his former employer the first time the two NFC West rivals meet this season?
Week 5's TNF game is on Thursday, Oct. 2, meaning there's more than a month and a half between now and when a decision has to be made about Stafford's availability, and an opening designation on the physically unable-to-perform list could still result in the starter being able to play after being sidelined on an injury list for the minimum four weeks.
That said, Stafford's injury issues aren't exactly going away either, meaning Los Angeles might have little other choice but to turn to Garoppolo for an extensive period of time to open up the season.
And that could directly telegraph to a Jimmy G-versus-Niners showdown in prime time in early October.
We'll see.