Despite missing some key players, the Los Angeles Rams secured their spot in the NFC Wild Card round with a win over the Arizona Cardinals in the 2020 NFL season finale.
The Rams already went into the week having to replace Jared Goff with John Wolford under center due to the former’s thumb injury. Although they needed all the help they could get with playoff implications on the line, they were forced to play without wide receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive tackle Michael Brockers in the mix as well after both were placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Losing such integral players on both sides of the ball was hardly ideal for L.A. given the situation. Fortunately, it seems they will be at full strength at the most important time of the season.
Head coach Sean McVay is optimistic that both Kupp and Brockers will be making their return from the Reserve/COVID-19 list this week, via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry:
Sean McVay says they expect WR Cooper Kupp to return tomorrow and DL Michael Brockers to return later this week from reserve/COVID-19 list as long as they continue to progress at current rate.
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) January 5, 2021
This is certainly an encouraging sign for L.A. After all, they know full well it is going to take every weapon at their disposal to defeat their NFC rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, in a tiebreaker to keep the season alive.
Since the game is on Saturday instead of Sunday, it does leave the Rams with a shorter timeline to get prepared than usual. Kupp is expected to take part in every practice after officially being activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday while Brockers is set to make his return later in the week.
They are not the only notable names that could be back in the lineup. McVay is hoping to have left tackle Andrew Whitworth back as well after being sidelined since Week 10 with a knee injury.
The prospect of the Rams getting their key players back certainly bodes well for them as they get set to hit the road for a visit to Seattle. On top of that, the lack of fans in the stadium should help erase any home-field advantage that has helped boost this team in recent playoff runs.
