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Sean McVay is “not worried” about Matthew Stafford’s thigh injury ahead of the final preseason game

It's unclear when Matthew Stafford will return to practice with the Los Angeles Rams, but head coach Sean McVay says he's not concerned about his quarterback's health at this point in the preseason.

Stafford left the Rams' joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys last week with a strained hamstring and did not practice the next day. He also did not play in the Rams' 13-9 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, in which Stetson Bennett led the team throughout the game, as he did in the team's first preseason win over the Cowboys the week before.

“I'm not worried,” McVay said Sunday, via ESPN's Sarah Barshop. “I'm not worried … Do you want him to get the job? Of course. But I'm not worried, seeing how tight it is, and I'd rather play it safe this week if that's what we end up having to do.”

Stafford threw for 3,965 yards and 24 touchdowns with 11 interceptions last season with the Rams. The 36-year-old also completed nearly 63% of his passes and led the Rams to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth, their first since their Super Bowl victory in the 2021 season.

If Stafford cannot play, the Rams have Bennett and Jimmy Garoppolo at their disposal – although Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the league's doping policy.

On Saturday, the Rams have one last preseason game against the Houston Texans. They will then open the regular season on September 8 against the Lions in Detroit.

While McVay isn't sure what Stafford's week will look like, it doesn't sound like his injury will extend much into the regular season, if at all.

“He can throw and do some of those things as far as some of the movements if he feels good … So we haven't decided that yet,” McVay said. “But the arrow is pointing up and he feels good as far as the hamstring tightness from last week.”

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