The Los Angeles Rams are making their preseason predictions look silly as they picked up a huge win over the Washington Commanders in Week 15 to move into the final NFC Wild Card spot.
With the Green Bay Packers dropping their game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Rams slid into the seventh seed and improved their chances of making the postseason. However, they don’t get much time to celebrate as they play host to the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football.
Players tend to loathe the quick turnaround from Sunday to Thursday, but Los Angeles has no choice but to get themselves as ready as possible. It’s a crucial game for both squads as the Rams look to hold off the other NFC teams in the hunt, while the Saints battle for the NFC South crown.
Fortunately for L.A., Sean McVay expects them to be at near full-strength when New Orleans comes to town, via Greg Beacham of AP:
Sean McVay expects CB Ahkello Witherspoon, RT Rob Havenstein and WR Tutu Atwell to be available to play Thursday vs New Orleans. No other major injuries apparently popped up yesterday, which is huge for the Rams on a short week.
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) December 18, 2023
Ahkello Witherspoon and Rob Havenstein were listed as limited participants on Monday with groin injuries, while Tutu Atwell was a full participant after missing Week 15 with a concussion. Having those three on the field on Thursday only helps the Rams who need to win out down the stretch to keep their spot.
Meanwhile, the Saints are ailing on both sides of the field as star receiver Chris Olave did not practice due to an ankle sprain. The offense also was without Ryan Ramczyk and Kendre Miller also did not practice with knee and ankle injuries, respectively.
Health is usually the main reason why a team does or doesn’t make the playoffs, and Los Angeles has to be happy that their roster’s getting back to full strength at this point of the year. However, they still have to play disciplined football if they hope to take down a New Orleans team battling for their playoff lives.
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