While the Los Angeles Rams picked up a big win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 to clinch a playoff berth and take over first place in the NFC West, it did come at a cost.
The Rams lost a few key players to injury throughout the game and it appears a pair of them will miss time moving forward as head coach Sean McVay announced that linebacker Ernest Jones and Darrell Henderson will be placed on injured reserve. The team then made the roster move official on Tuesday morning.
Jones suffered a high ankle sprain that will require surgery while Henderson suffered a sprained MCL in his knee. The hope is that neither ending is season-ending, but by being placed on IR, both players will miss at least three weeks of action.
McVay discussed how costly those losses are given how well both Jones and Henderson have played this year, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“With Ernest and Darrell, those are big losses for us,” McVay said. “Those guys have done a great job. It’s really unfortunate because Ernest was really just starting to hit his stride. You guys know how highly I think of him and what a star I think he’s gonna be in the future. Hopefully he’ll get a chance to maybe come back this year. But if not, I think he did a lot of great things that we can build on. And then, poor Darrell can’t even catch a break. He has a great run, and it was one of those deals, it was kind of a freak way that he went down on a good run, and we’ll miss him as well.”
In Jones’ absence, Travin Howard will likely see more time at inside linebacker. He came in against the Vikings and immediately came up with a big red-zone interception.
The loss of Henderson isn’t as significant given Sony Michel’s recent emergence. The expectation is also that Cam Akers will be back soon, so the Rams have quality running backs even without Henderson.
The Rams did suffer some other injuries in the game against the Vikings, although they are not believed to be as serious. McVay provided positive updates on Greg Gaines, Ben Skowronek, Brian Allen and Akers, who could make his season debut this week:
Meanwhile, defensive lineman Greg Gaines broke the fourth metatarsal in his left hand against the Vikings and is scheduled to have surgery today. Gaines will have a cast put on his left hand, but McVay said he expects him to be able to play this week against the Ravens.
McVay also said wide receiver Ben Skowronek sustained a shoulder injury. They should be able to “brace that thing up and go,” might “be smart with him” when it comes to his practice participation Wednesday.
Additionally, McVay said offensive lineman Brian Allen “tweaked his knee” but should be OK and that there’s a chance running back Cam Akers plays this week.
With the playoffs just around the corner, the Rams want to stay healthy and continue clicking on all cylinders to close out the regular season.
So although they will be missing a pair of key players in Jones and Henderson, it is good to see that they avoided the worst with some of their other injured players.
