Rams giving Carson Wentz first start in over a year with playoffs ahead

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The Los Angeles Rams will start Super Bowl champion Carson Wentz at quarterback in Week 18 to give their usual starter, Matthew Stafford, some rest ahead of the NFL playoffs. 

Wentz, who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, has not thrown a pass in an NFL game since Jan. 1, 2023, when he played for the Washington Commanders. 

Since the Rams already locked up a playoff spot in the NFC, head coach Sean McVay is going to temporarily hand things over to Wentz.

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Carson Wentz of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium Dec. 31, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Wentz will face the San Francisco 49ers, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, who will have backup Blaine Gabbert in for Brock Purdy at quarterback.

Wentz signed with the Rams in November after Los Angeles released Stafford’s backup, Brett Rypien. Wentz will start for his fourth different team in four seasons. 

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The 31-year-old signal-caller played his first five seasons in Philadelphia as the second overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, and things went well for the North Dakota State product. In his second season, he got a Pro Bowl nod and was second-team All-Pro after throwing for 3,296 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions and posting an 11-2 record as a starter. 

However, an injury during the regular season derailed what could’ve been an MVP season for Wentz. Nick Foles, his backup, took over and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl