Rams' Sean McVay shares major Matthew Stafford update for Week 1 game vs. Texans

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford resumed practicing ahead of this past weekend after he spent the first few weeks of training camp recovering from what appeared to be a worrisome back injury. 

It now seems that Stafford is on track to start Los Angeles' Week 1 game against the Houston Texans on Sept. 7.

"I can’t see into the future, but if you look at what the last week has entailed, feel really good," Rams head coach Sean McVay said about Stafford while speaking with reporters on Monday, per  Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. "There’s nothing that would leave me to believe, unless we have an unforeseen setback, that he’s not going to be ready to roll against the Texans."

A report from earlier in August revealed that Stafford had been slowed by an aggravated disc that left him needing "epidurals to aid in dealing with the injury." During the 2022 season, the 37-year-old made just nine starts before he was shut down for the remainder of the campaign after he was diagnosed with a spinal cord contusion.

That said, the Rams seemed to say plenty about Stafford's status for Week 1 when they made no major move to land a potential fill-in option this month. Journeyman Jimmy Garoppolo and 2023 fourth-round draft pick Stetson Bennett IV are set to share the Rams quarterback room with Stafford through the fall. Garoppolo hasn't been a full-time QB1 since the first half of the 2023 campaign, while Bennett has never started a meaningful game as a pro. 

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Dresser Winn completed 15-of-23 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown in the Rams' preseason finale at the Cleveland Browns this past Saturday. The Rams have since waived Winn.

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams sixth among the betting favorites at +1000 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX this coming February. Such information indicates that certain league insiders believe Stafford will be good to go by the time the Rams welcome the Texans to SoFi Stadium on the first Sunday of September.