Matthew Stafford Expected To Start For Rams Vs. Texans In Week 1

The Los Angeles Rams got through the preseason without any significant injuries to their key players, which was much-needed considering the uncertainty surrounding Matthew Stafford.

The veteran quarterback was sidelined for roughly two months because of an aggravated disk in his back and did not return to practice until the end of August.

Stafford has made steady progress despite getting a late start in team drills and was tracking to be ready for Week 1.

Head coach Sean McVay said he expects Stafford to start at quarterback when the Rams take on the Houston Texans in their regular season opener, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:

Rams head coach Sean McVay on Monday said he expects quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) to start this Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Texans at SoFi Stadium (1:25 p.m. PT, CBS).

McVay also confirmed that Stafford will participate in a full week of practice.

The latest update on Stafford might be the most encouraging one yet as he is set to participate in a full week of practice for the first time since his back issue.

Stafford is entering his 17th NFL season and expectations could not be higher after he led the Rams to the playoffs last year.

L.A. was only a few plays away from potentially knocking off the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and advancing to the NFC Championship Game.

Stafford completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards and 20 touchdowns in 16 games during the 2024 season.

In other positive injury news, Alaric Jackson is trending toward starting at left tackle for the Rams on Sunday after recovering from blood clots.

Matthew Stafford among Rams captains for 2025 season

The Los Angeles Rams announced that Ethan Evans, Rob Havenstein, Quentin Lake, Nate Landman, Matthew Stafford, Kobie Turner and Kyren Williams were voted team captains for the 2025 season.

Aside from their leadership capabilities, each player is a key part of their respective side of the field and makes for perfect captains this year.

This is Stafford’s fifth time serving as a captain having been voted every season since being traded by the Detroit Lions.