The Los Angeles Rams may already need to start thinking about preparing for next season as their loss to the Arizona Cardinals all but eliminates them from playoff contention.
Injuries have not been kind to the Rams during the 2022 season, and the hits came on coming as Matthew Stafford was ruled out due to a concussion. Stafford was a surprise add to the NFL’s concussion protocol in the middle of the week, and while there was some hope he could suit up, he was ultimately held out.
With John Wolford at the helm, the offense predictably struggled but the team was a dealt a massive blow in the fourth quarter when Cooper Kupp came down and appeared to hurt his ankle. Kupp could not place any weight on his leg and afterward, head coach Sean McVay did not sound happy about the severity of his star receiver’s injury, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:
Sean McVay says no update on Cooper Kupp. Says “didn’t look good, didn’t sound good.” Reiterates he has no update.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) November 14, 2022
After initial testing was done, however, it appears the team can breathe a little sigh of relief as Kupp reportedly avoided major injury, via Adam Schefter of ESPN:
Rams’ WR Cooper Kupp suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday vs. the Cardinals, per one source. Another familiar with his prognosis said it “doesn’t sound good.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 15, 2022
Wolford threw a high pass that Kupp tried to come down with, but on the landing, it looked like his ankle got rolled up on. The wideout was ruled as doubtful to return but it was clear there was no way he could come back considering how bad the injury looked when it occurred.
Kupp has been the only constant for the offense and with it looking like he’ll be forced to miss extended time the Rams’ season feels all but finished. McVay and his coaching staff will obviously do their best to find ways to mitigate Kupp’s potential absence, but there’s no replacing their superstar receiver.
