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Los Angeles Rams News: Breaking Down The Injury Replacements Entering Week 2
By Breven Honda,
1 days ago
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Players who are lower on depth charts across the 32 teams in the National Football League need to have a next-man-up mentality.
Those NFL athletes need to be ready in the event of an injury. The injuries can come at any time in the season, whether it is on Opening Day for the final game of the season or in the playoffs.
However, the Los Angeles Rams were hit with the injury bug early as three players not only got injured in the 27-20 overtime loss in Detroit on Sunday but later landed on Injured Reserve.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua and offensive linemen Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom suffered injuries that will sideline them for at least four weeks.
As a result, players have to step up, especially just one game into the season.
With the Rams not hoping to have de ja vu from 2022, here are the players who need to step up in the absence of Nacua, Avila, and Noteboom.
To fill the void of Puka Nacua, Tyler Johnson has to step up in his absence. Outside of Cooper Kupp ’s 21 targets, Johnson had seven targets while hauling in five receptions for 79 yards.
Johnson, along with Demarcus Robinson , will mostly be playing on the outside as Kupp is in the slot. On a positive note, quarterback Matthew Stafford was able to build the relationship with Johnson in August while Nacua was out with his original knee injury before reaggravating it last week.
Head coach Sean McVay said players, like Johnson, have to be prepared to get on the gridiron, like he did Sunday.
“It’s always about making sure that you’re ready for those opportunities if some unforeseen circumstances arise,” McVay said Wednesday to the media . “I thought TJ did a great job of being able to maximize the time that Puka was out to be able to get better and get a lot more reps than he would’ve got otherwise. I thought it showed with the way he played.”
In an offense where McVay does not usually target the tight ends, Colby Parkinson might get more volume in this offense without Nacua. Parkinson caught four passes on five targets for 47 yards on Sunday against Detroit.
When the offense does not have the caliber of Nacua, not only do Johnson and Robinson have to step up, but also Parkinson.
Parkinson has also needed to step up through the first four games of the season in the absence of Tyler Higbee , who went on the physically unable to perform list (PUP)Ω before Week 1 as he continues his rehab from a torn ACL.
Having the option on short routes for Parkinson is crucial, whether it is on second-and-long or first down for a short-yardage situation on the next play.
Over these next three games during the time Higbee is sidelined for sure, the Rams face Arizona, San Francisco and Chicago. Last year, the Bears allowed the fifth-most targets while San Francisco allowed the ninth-most.
In Parkinson’s NFL career, he has played Arizona six times and has a 5-1 record. He has received the most volume playing against the Cardinals compared to any other team in the NFL with 12 receptions on 14 targets for 71 yards.
One player that was prepared Sunday night was Jonah Jackson, who moved from center to left guard to begin the second half on Sunday.
Jackson said the offensive line has to be ready, especially when they are facing 300-pound linemen.
“We’re built for this, like how I moved to center, and Steve moved to left guard (before getting hurt),” Jackson said after Sunday’s game. “We’re all pretty much interchangeable and we can play all positions across the board. When it comes down to that time, things like that got to happen and we’re ready for it.”
Entering the year, this was a Rams offensive line that was in line to be dominant and deep. The injuries for the Rams O-Line are hoping to last just through the four games.
This comes as Rob Havenstein was a scratch last week and has been a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. In addition, guard Kevin Dotson was banged up with a foot injury. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, but McVay expects both to go on Sunday in Arizona.
It is never easy for a rookie to step up in the absence of others.
However, that is what Rams rookie center Beaux Limmer will have to do. Limmer was taken by the team in the sixth round back in April from Arkansas.
Limmer moved to center for his senior season as a Razorback last year and was the team’s highest-graded offensive lineman with a 74.5 Pro Football Focus Grade and had the team’s best run-blocking grade at 77.6.
In a month when the Rams’ first unofficial depth chart was released in August, Limmer went from being third at the center position to now starting in Week 2.
On Sunday, he played 53 percent of the snaps against Detroit in his NFL debut. A full week of practice and the reps with Stafford under center or in the shotgun could provide the necessary improvement needed to have that stability at the position.
Ultimately, Jackson, Limmer, and the rest of the O-Line will have to step up to protect Stafford as well as running back Kyren Williams to either block or create gaps.
With three offensive starters down, the lack of potential offensive production also comes down to the defense and the specialists needing to step up in their absence.
The offense might have to rely on the defense getting a takeaway like John Johnson getting that crucial interception, which led to the go-ahead touchdown that ended the 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a lead.
Stafford might have to lean on rookie kicker Joshua Karty to make a field goal and settle for points when needed. It could also be punter Ethan Evans needing to flip the field. That punt could lead to the defense getting a three-and-out to get the offense back out on the field in a better position.
This is where it is not only the offensive players behind the injured ones on the depth chart needing to step up, but also the other two phases of the game needing to execute one percent more to have the team be in a better position on the next play.
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