The Los Angeles Rams kept their season alive by beating the Arizona Cardinals on wild card weekend, setting up a matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round.
Unfortunately though, the Rams did not come out of the game injury-free as a number of players were banged up and some even forced to leave the game.
The two key players that couldn’t finish the game were offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth and cornerback David Long Jr. Whitworth suffered knee and ankle injuries on the first offensive snap for L.A., although he was able to return and finish out the first half before being done for the night.
Long also hurt his knee late in the first half and was forced to leave the game. On Tuesday though, Sean McVay provided positive updates on both players as far as their status for the game against the Buccaneers goes, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
Rams head coach Sean McVay on Tuesday said offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth and cornerback David Long Jr. are both day-to-day following their respective injuries sustained in Monday night’s Wild Card playoff win over the Cardinals.
On Tuesday, McVay said Whitworth got both his ankle and his knee “rolled up on,” and that they were still awaiting the results of a scan Whitworth was getting today.
Long, who returned an interception for a touchdown in the Rams’ victory, sustained his knee injury with 2:35 left in the first half and did not return. However, the initial feedback they got on Long’s injury was positive, according to McVay.
With receiver Ben Skowronek and return man Brandon Powell were both also banged up although McVay doesn’t expect them to miss time:
Meanwhile, wide receiver Ben Skowronek had his back “lock up on him” during Monday night’s game, but McVay said he doesn’t expect it to affect the way Skowronek practices this week. Wide receiver and kickoff/punt returner Brandon Powell sustained a ribs injury, but “he should be good as well, with those four guys.”
In addition to the players that were injured in the game against the Cardinals, the Rams also have some key players that were already out that they hope will be able to return at some point in the postseason.
McVay provided updates on Ernest Jones, Darrell Henderson, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Robert Rochell:
In terms of players currently on Injured Reserve, it’s “a possibility” linebacker Ernest Jones (high left ankle sprain) and running back Darrell Henderson Jr. (MCL sprain) return this week, or at least have their 21-day activation window opened, according to McVay. However, defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day (pec) and cornerback Robert Rochell (chest) have not been part of the conversations pertaining to players potentially returning.
“It’s a little bit different circumstances with them,” McVay said of Joseph-Day and Rochell. “So don’t have any truly true updates on those guys.”
Getting Jones back, in particular, would be great news for the Rams as he really emerged as one of the team’s best linebackers in the second half of the season before going down with the ankle injury.
The Rams play the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon, so there is still a few days before the team has to make a decision on if these players can play or not.
