The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks saw their Week 15 matchup postponed as the former deals with a coronavirus (COVID-1) outbreak.
The Rams at one point had 29 players on the NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 list, though they started to see players test out of protocols throughout the week. Darrell Henderson and Jalen Ramsey were activated on Monday, while Von Miller was cleared Tuesday morning, which made him eligible to play against Seattle.
Miller did not practice or participate in team meetings throughout the week and admitted he was just playing freely, according to Greg Beacham of the Associated Press:
Von Miller got cleared this morning, so he hadn't practiced or been in meetings all week: "Crazy times. I just went out there and played. It kinda felt like Little League football, which is fun. We’re playing a child’s game."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) December 22, 2021
The pass rusher also detailed the whirlwind morning he had after learning his test had come back negative:
Von Miller stayed at a hotel last night, took a COVID test very early this morning, went home and started playing Call of Duty at 6:45 a.m., then got a phone call saying he had been cleared to play tonight: "Oh snap. I finished my game, and then I went to the (team) hotel."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) December 22, 2021
It has been a rough couple of weeks for the Rams as they have had to deal with several key starters and rotation guys coming down with coronavirus, but getting Miller back was a step in the right direction as far as health goes. Miller recorded his first sack as a member of the Rams and should be good to go as the team makes its playoff push.
Hopefully Los Angeles is past their rough patch with COVID-19 and can go back to focusing on football. They get a tough draw in Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings, though having Miller back and healthy will surely help.