Analysis

This comes as no surprise, after Garoppolo threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 18 loss to Seattle while mostly playing with other backups (against the Seahawks' starters). It was an impressive performance, and a far cry from what Garoppolo did the year before in seven games for the Raiders (seven TDs, nine interceptions). In any case, he's 33 years old and will return to Los Angeles as Matthew Stafford's backup.

Analysis

In his lone appearance of the season Week 18, Garoppolo showcased his abilities to potential suitors and performed well, completing touchdown passes to Tyler Higbee and Tyler Johnson with mostly backups on the field for the Rams. Head coach Sean McVay may be inclined to bring the 31-year-old Garoppolo, an unrestricted free agent, back for another round as the primary backup to Matthew Stafford if the price is right, as third-stringer Stetson Bennett has yet to take a snap in a regular-season game and had a miserable preseason with five interceptions and a lost fumble over two starts.

Analysis

Head coach Sean McVay opted to rest several key starters with the NFC West title locked up, opening the door for Garoppolo to make his 2024 debut with the Rams. The veteran quarterback performed admirably given the circumstances, almost leading a second-unit offense to victory while posting solid fantasy numbers. The 31-year-old did well in this spot-start to possibly earn some looks from potential QB-thin rosters this upcoming offseason as his one-year deal with Los Angeles nears a close. Matthew Stafford is in line to re-take the reins of McVay's offense in the first round of the playoffs in a home tilt against either Minnesota or Detroit next weekend.

Analysis

Garoppolo gets his first start of the season in a tough situation to put up good numbers, as the Rams will likely be resting multiple starters against a Seahawks defense that should have most of its top players available. The 33-year-old Garoppolo didn't appear in any of the Rams' first 16 games after signing a one-year contract with the team in March, but he most recently made seven appearances (six starts) for the Raiders in 2023, completing 110 of 169 pass attempts (65.1 percent) for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding 39 yards on 20 carries.

Analysis

While they can claim the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs with a win over the Seahawks, the Rams are already assured no worse than the fourth seed -- and the home game in the wild-card round that comes with it -- after having already clinched the NFC West title. McVay suggested that he'll prioritize resting the team's top players and avoiding injuries rather than going all in to secure the No. 3 seed, meaning that Matthew Stafford will likely be inactive for the contest while Garoppolo steps in to direct the offense. With 63 career NFL starts on his resume, the 33-year-old Garoppolo is about as battle-tested as it gets for a backup quarterback, but he has yet to make his Rams debut, as Stafford has played every snap through Los Angeles' first 16 games.