The Los Angeles Rams hope Matthew Stafford can suit up and play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, but after missing the first two days of practice, it’s not looking good. That means Brett Rypien is likely to step in as the starting quarterback for at least a week, and he’s prepared to take the reins in the meantime.
Having gotten the first-team snaps in practice, Rypien is showing the Rams defense what he can do. And according to Aaron Donald, he’s “doing a lot of good things.”
“Moving around, doing a lot of good things, making a lot of good throws, doing things that you want to see, helping us to get better,” Donald said. “Obviously, you have confidence in that aspect knowing that he’s going to do what he needs to do.”
Rypien has been running the scout team as the No. 2 quarterback this season, but he was also working with the second-team offense during training camp. Though he’s not known for being the most mobile or athletic quarterback, Donald sees a guy who moves around well and extends plays.
“He was making some good throws at practice throughout the season, making it tough on us. Definitely, like you said, extending plays with his feet, running around in the pocket at times and making some good throws down the field, some accurate passes,” Donald added. “It’s things like that that you see, and I said, obviously, you want your guys out there, but you’re confident with the next guy up because you see things like that.”
Rypien took over for Stafford in the second half of last week’s game against the Cowboys, completing 5 of 10 passes for 42 yards. It was a tough spot to be put in, though, with the Rams trailing and the Cowboys unleashing their pass rushers in obvious passing situations.
If Rypien is the starter this weekend, he’ll have had a full week to prepare for the Packers, which should benefit him.
