Since joining the Rams in November, Carson Wentz rarely has stood still on the sideline.
The veteran quarterback bursts into sprints as if he is avoiding a rush. He tosses passes as if he’s engineering a game-winning, two-minute drive.
But as Matthew Stafford led the Rams to a playoff spot, Wentz never got the chance to show in a game that he could once again be a viable NFL starter.
Could 49ers game be start of something beautiful for Rams’ Carson Wentz?
That opportunity arrives Sunday.
Coach Sean McVay is resting Stafford and a few other starters, so Wentz will be under center against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.
Wentz, the No. 2 pick behind Jared Goff in the 2016 NFL draft, has not started a game since Jan. 1, 2022, when he played for the Washington Commanders.
A victory over the 49ers, the top seed in the NFC, would enable the No. 6 Rams to maintain their seed and play the Detroit Lions in a wild-card game. If the Rams lose, and the Green Bay Packers defeat the Chicago Bears, the Rams would fall to the No. 7 seed and play the Dallas Cowboys.
Will Wentz be as active on the sideline as a starter as he was as the backup?
“Maybe a little bit,” he said. “I’m not a 22-year-old spring chicken anymore. I’m 31 and I got to find a way to stay fresh and stay warm.”
Before the 2021 season, the Eagles traded Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. He was traded to the Commanders before the 2022 season, and was released last February.
Wentz has a 46-45-1 record as a starter. He has passed for 151 touchdowns, with 66 interceptions.
Wentz played a few snaps in the Rams’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 26, but he did not attempt a pass. Most of his work in game-like situations has come in practice as the scout-team quarterback.
Excited to go get a chance and, yes, there is still some stuff to play for and there’s things at stake and it’s January,” Wentz said. “I haven’t played a game in a long time so I’m excited for it.”
Rams coaches and players expect Wentz’s game experience to come through against the 49ers.
This is a guy that’s played some high-level ball in his career,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said, “and he believes, and so do I, that he still has a lot of that out there for him.”
Stafford, 35, had played seven NFL seasons before Wentz was drafted out of North Dakota State. Wentz said he watched Stafford from afar, and has learned from observing him on and off the field.
“We see all the highlights — we see all the funky arm angles and how he can make all the throws,” Wentz said, “But just what he does off the field, just in this film room, and just how he sees the game, it’s been fun to get to work with him.
“So I’ve just been soaking it up, trying to gain as much knowledge as I can and be ready.”
Star receiver Cooper Kupp is among Rams starters who will not play Sunday. Receivers Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell will beargets for Wentz.
