On Tuesday, Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters he had not yet made a decision on whether it will be Jared Goff or John Wolford starting at quarterback for Saturday's Wild Card playoff game against the Seahawks (1:40 p.m. PT, FOX). He also said he wasn't going to announce it or "answer that question this week." When McVay was asked for a timetable, he said "Saturday at 1:39 (p.m.)" – or one minute before kickoff.
Two days later, in his final media availability before kickoff on Saturday, his stance remained unchanged.
"We are going to work through that and we'll see on Saturday," McVay said during a video conference Thursday, when asked specifically if Goff will start on Saturday.
Goff (right thumb) is listed as questionable on the final injury report for Saturday's game after being limited in practice all week. He missed last Sunday's game against the Cardinals after undergoing surgery on his right thumb early last week, a procedure which involved him getting a couple screws inserted to stabilize his broken thumb.
This week, McVay said Goff "went through what a normal practice would entail" on Wednesday, and what Goff did in practice Thursday was similar to Wednesday. That was after already "throwing a couple balls" and being scheduled to take snaps Tuesday.
"He was able to get a lot of drill work each of the last couple of days with (offensive coordinator) Kevin (O'Connell) and (assistant quarterbacks coach) Liam (Coen) in between some of the periods where the defense or special teams might be working," McVay said Thursday. "That's where you can kind of accumulate a lot of good feelers on where exactly you're at and there's always a good field to see, okay, when you work today, when you work the previous day, are you sore, are there any sort of setbacks? I was encouraged to see that there weren't any today and then (Friday) will represent another opportunity for us to evaluate it as we get closer and closer to kickoff."
Goff said Thursday he has taken snaps from under center and that his right thumb is "feeling good." While he and McVay will collaborate on the decision for whether or not he will play, he said it's ultimately McVay's call.
"I feel good and I'm progressing well," Goff said. "Whether it's starting, whether it's not, I'll be ready to go."
In Goff's absence, Wolford made his first NFL start and completed 22 of 38 pass attempts for 231 yards with an interception, also rushing six times for 56 yards on the ground in an 18-7 Rams win over the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium last Sunday.
"I think I made some plays with my legs, obviously, that sustained some drives," Wolford said during a video conference Thursday. "I thought I threw the ball pretty well. There are a few balls that were a little bit short. A few misses here and there that I would love to have back. So, the challenge for me is how can you execute those plays when you have those opportunities, because that's the difference between throwing for 230 (yards) and throwing for 350 (yards)."
When a reporter asked Wolford how he is preparing in case he is the starter on Saturday, Wolford said he's treating it "just like any other week."
"Whether you're the two or the one, in my mind, your preparation should be the same," Wolford said. "You've got to be ready to go. You don't know when your number is going to be called. So, not much has changed in that regard. I'll keep doing what I've been doing the past 17 weeks."
Would McVay consider playing Wolford and Goff?
"I wouldn't rule out anything at this point," McVay said Tuesday. "We're working through a lot of things in a short amount of time. This year has definitely been a different one, to say the least, but this is another one of those situations where you just have to be able to navigate it the right way and I certainly would not rule that out."
From the perspective of a Rams wide receiver, Robert Woods said Wednesday that no matter who starts, he has confidence in their ability to lead the offense. It's up to him to prepare the receivers and help them put the quarterback in a position to be successful.
"Whoever is in at quarterback is going to do a good job, going to lead this team, so that's really the least of the preparation and the worries," Woods said. "We know they're going to go out there and get the job done. For us, just go out there and be ready, be an open target, and be ready to make plays with the ball in our hands."
Check out the top photos from Thursday's LA Rams practice as they prepare for Wild Card weekend against the Seattle Seahawks.