Entering the regular season, the Los Angeles Rams were widely considered to be a Super Bowl contender but through six weeks, they sit last in the NFC West and now they’ll be without three key players for an extensive period of time—one for the remainder of the year.
Head coach Sean McVay announced wide receiver Davante Adams ruptured his hamstring in Sunday’s 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and is expected to miss 6-10 weeks, with the hope of returning shortly after they team’s bye (Week 11).
In addition, the Rams placed defensive tackles Kobie Turner (groin) and former Seahawk Poona Ford (ruptured triceps) on injured reserve. Turner is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, while Ford will not return this season.
As for special teams, recently signed kicker Blake Grupe suffered a torn ACL in his team debut on Sunday and is set to miss the remainder of the season, leaving Los Angeles in search of their third kicker of the season following the release of Harrison Mevis.
It’s a crucial blow for the Rams, who are still without reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett (knee) and given they sit at 2-4 with two losses having come against divisional opponents, it’ll be an uphill battle if they want to re-emerge as a legitimate threat in the NFC.
As one of the league’s most dangerous red zone threats, Adams’ absence is especially troubling, especially when taking into consideration his replacements (Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington and Xavier Smith) have combined for just eight career touchdowns, compared to the the star wideout’s 18 across the last two seasons.
Although Adams’ injury timeline is quite lenient, there remains the possibility he could still be sidelined for the team’s Week 16 matchup against the Seahawks.
On the defensive side, the absence of Turner and Ford will likely impact the Rams ability to stop the run, an area where they’ve already struggled so far this season. Former fifth-round picks Ty Hamilton and Larrell Murchison appear poised to see increased playing time, although neither have ever slotted in as solidified starters.
With a cloud of uncertainty looming over their future, both the wild card and divisional standings are likely to impacted. The Rams currently sit three games behind the San Francisco 49ers for first in the NFC West and 1.5 behind the Detroit Lions for the final wild card spot.
It bodes well for Seattle, who—like Los Angeles have dropped back-to-back games and have looked like a shell of themselves as of late. However, it certainly helps one of the most dangerous forces in the NFC has as well.
Despite the injury news, the Rams are set to take on the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders and the Cardinals over their next four games—a favourable upcoming stretch of games by all means.
Given the star power on their roster, it’s difficult to count Los Angeles out of the playoff picture, even nearing the halfway mark of the season, but there’s certainly work to be done if they want to keep up in the NFC race.