Why starting Brett Rypien in Week 9 is the right move for the LA Rams

The LA Rams are trying to find their way in a challenging 2023 season. Now, just like 2022, the team faces a game without veteran starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. The likelihood of the Rams going with backup quarterback Brett Rypien is nearly a certainty, and that is making Rams fans express despair on social media.

"Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide . . . " are the opening lyrics to a 1975 smash hit from the band Queen entitled Bohemian Rhapsody. The song was a completely new approach to popular music. It was thought to be too long (it is a six-minute suite), too complex (lyrics refer to murder, satan, and despair), too different (harmonies blend throughout the song), and too obscure (producers questioned whether any song listeners could connect). And yet, if you have ever heard that song, or lived in the 70s, you are no doubt singing the song in its entirety in your head right now.

Sometimes, the only option is to do things differently. Sometimes the outcome is a horrific disaster. But there are the occasion where it becomes a monumental success. Right now, the LA Rams are facing change, and for the pregame pushback already professed on social media, playing Brett Rypien is about as welcome as Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody was in 1975.

Don't rule out a win just yet

I honestly cannot say whether 60 percent of Matthew Stafford is any better than 100 percent of Brett Rypien, but I can say that the Rams can win a game with Rypien under center. Whether they will or not is still up for debate.

Rypien is not a threat to beat an opponent if the Rams fall behind and need a Hail Mary pass to win. But if the Rams commit to a balanced offense, and the Rams can eliminate turnovers, they have a chance in Week 9.

If the Rams go with the same old offensive philosophy, they will lose in Lambeau no matter who is under center. But a Brett Rypien at quarterback forces the Rams to rethink how they go about attacking the Packers defense. If the Rams cannot plan on getting 400 yards through the air, then by rights this team should be willing to run the ball more often.

That will benefit the offense and the defense.

And let's not ignore the fact that by sitting Stafford in Week 9, the Rams essentially give him two full weeks to rest and heal up before the LA Rams must suit up again for Week 11 to host the Seattle Seahawks.

In all honesty, I would rather have peak Stafford in Week 11, than an injured Stafford in Week 9. I may be alone in that, and I'm okay if that is the case. The LA Rams need to know who they have on the roster, not just at this moment, but for the future. Let's find out what Brett Rypien's