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Jimmy Garoppolo to make debut for playoff-bound Rams in place of Matthew Stafford against Seahawks

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Jimmy Garoppolo to make debut for playoff-bound Rams in place of Matthew Stafford against Seahawks
Sport

Sport

Jimmy Garoppolo to make debut for playoff-bound Rams in place of Matthew Stafford against Seahawks

2025-01-02 05:36 Last Updated At:06:11

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo will take his first snaps for the Rams when he starts in place of Matthew Stafford in playoff-bound Los Angeles' regular-season finale against Seattle on Sunday.

Coach Sean McVay announced the decision Wednesday to rest Stafford, the 16-year veteran starter. The Rams haven't decided which additional starters will rest.

Los Angeles (10-6) has clinched the NFC West title over the Seahawks (9-7) based on strength of schedule. The Rams are currently the third seed in the NFC playoff bracket, but they will fall to fourth if they lose to Seattle and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) beat Atlanta to win the South division.

The wild-card seeding is still in flux among Minnesota, Washington and Green Bay, so McVay clearly doesn't care whether the Rams enter the postseason as the third or fourth seed.

Garoppolo has yet to play for the Rams since signing to be Stafford's backup last spring. The 33-year-old veteran who led San Francisco to Super Bowl 54, missed the first two games of his first season in Los Angeles under suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Stafford has taken every snap this season for the Rams, who have won nine of 11 to surge into the postseason for the third time in his four years with Los Angeles. His 3,762 yards passing and 20 touchdown passes are his fewest in a season in which he played at least 15 games, but Stafford's eight interceptions are also his fewest in a nearly-full season, while his completion rate (65.8 percent) is above his career average.

Stafford improved to 13-1 as a starter in Rams games played in December when Los Angeles held off Arizona 13-9 last Saturday, but his offense has been in a slump. The Rams have scored more than 21 points just once during their current five-game winning streak, and they've managed just three touchdowns in their past three games combined.

Los Angeles' third-string quarterback is Stetson Bennett. The two-time national championship winner at Georgia and fourth-round draft pick in 2023 also has yet to play for the Rams, missing all of last season while away from the team for undisclosed personal reasons.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

FILE - Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo warms up during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Dec. 12, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File)

FILE - Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo warms up during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Dec. 12, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford warms up before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford warms up before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throw a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throw a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

FILE - Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo warms up during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Dec. 12, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File)

FILE - Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo warms up during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Dec. 12, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker, File)

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Colombian lawmakers reject president's labor reform referendum

2025-05-15 06:49 Last Updated At:06:51

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Lawmakers in Colombia on Wednesday once again blocked President Gustavo Petro's efforts to overhaul the country’s labor laws, this time by rejecting a referendum that would have asked voters whether workdays should be limited to eight hours and whether workers should receive double pay if they work during holidays.

Petro asked Congress earlier this month to approve the 12-question referendum to give voters a chance to decide on the changes that lawmakers themselves had already rejected twice. He had warned lawmakers against blocking the referendum, saying before thousands of people gathered for a Labor Day demonstration on May 1 that if they did not approve it, Colombians would punish them at the polls during the 2026 legislative elections.

After an intense debate Wednesday, 49 senators voted against the measure and 47 in favor.

Petro, Colombia's first leftist president, characterized the vote as fraudulent. He has repeatedly accused lawmakers of blocking his social initiatives and ignoring the demands of Colombians.

Had lawmakers approved the referendum, voters would have answered questions such as whether daytime workdays should end at 6 p.m. and whether open-ended contracts should be offered to workers to prioritize job stability.

In a rarely used maneuver, a group of congressmen on Wednesday successfully appealed the March dismissal of Petro's proposed labor reform. The move allows lawmakers to again debate his proposals and potentially approve them. Lawmakers face a June 20 deadline to do so.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Opposition Senators Paloma Valencia, left, and Maria Fernanda Cabal celebrate after voting against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Opposition Senators Paloma Valencia, left, and Maria Fernanda Cabal celebrate after voting against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Opposition senators celebrate after voting against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Opposition senators celebrate after voting against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, left, and Labor Minister Antonio Sanguino gesture during a discussion on a referendum proposal on labor reform, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, left, and Labor Minister Antonio Sanguino gesture during a discussion on a referendum proposal on labor reform, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti reacts after senators voted against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Colombian Interior Minister Armando Benedetti reacts after senators voted against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Opposition senators celebrate after voting against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Opposition senators celebrate after voting against a labor reform referendum proposed by the government, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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