The start of the 2024 NFL season has not been kind to the Los Angeles Rams as they are 0-2 and have already lost a number of key players to injuries.
After their Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Rams were forced to place Puka Nacua, Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom on injured reserve with all three expected to miss at least a month of action.
Things didn’t get any better in Week 2 as the Rams were blown out by the Arizona Cardinals, 41-10, and the injuries continued to pile up.
Cooper Kupp was forced to leave the game around halftime after injuring his ankle, and left guard Jonah Jackson are safety John Johnson III came out as well after hurting his shoulders.
According to head coach Sean McVay, all will miss extended periods of time and are candidates to go in injured reserve, per Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
Sean McVay said WR Cooper Kupp (ankle), OL Jonah Jackson (shoulder) and S John Johnson III (shoulder) will miss "an extended period of time" with the injuries they sustained against the Cardinals.
Jonah's shoulder injury is a re-aggravation of previous one.
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) September 16, 2024
McVay said none of these injuries are season-ending, but all three players are candidates for Injured Reserve
McVay also clarified it's an ankle sprain for Kupp https://t.co/KbT3zMvhyQ
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) September 16, 2024
The Rams can only placed a total on eight players on IR with a designation to return later in the season, and they are already approaching that limit just two weeks into the season.
This is obviously a tough break for Kupp, in particular, after looking healthy for the first time in a few years in Week 1. With him and Nacua both now out, Matthew Stafford will be relying on a receivings corps that now includes Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Tutu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington.
The Jackson loss is also unfortunate given the current state of the Rams offensive line. He will join Avila on the shelf, leaving L.A. without two key interior pieces. Left tackle Alaric Jackson will be back in Week 3 from his two-game suspension, so at least the Rams will have both starting tackles for the first time this season.
Johnson is one of the few veteran leaders in the Rams’ locker room so will be a big loss even if his role on the field isn’t what it once was.
The Rams have two solid safeties in Kamren Curl and Quentin Laker and are also high on rookie Kamren Kinchens, who could see more snaps in Johnson’s absence. The team also recently waived Russ Yeast so could potentially bring him back if Johnson does indeed land on injured reserve as is expected.
Sean McVay discusses how Rams can bounce back from Cardinals loss
Even though the Week 2 loss to the Cardinals was very disappointing for the Rams, there is still a lot of season left and Sean McVay discussed what they need to do to bounce back.
“This is the NFL. These are situations that unfortunately we have been in before, and I’ve gotta do a good job of figuring out how to navigate that and make sure that we’re proud of controlling the things that we can control, maximizing the situation and the circumstances that we’re placed in and…this is not a fun place to be in,” McVay said.
“As a competitor you guys know me, I mean this chaps me to no end…but it doesn’t do any good to sit here and dwell on it. What I’m not gonna do is pout about this shit. Alright? I’m gonna figure out how can I go respond in a manner that’s reflective of what I ask of our guys, and that’s exactly what guys are gonna see.”
