Heavily wounded, winless Rams are in serious trouble

The Los Angeles Rams (0-2) suffered a double whammy on Sunday in their 41-10 Week 2 loss against the Arizona Cardinals. They were not only blown out by a divisional opponent, but also lost star wide receiver Cooper Kupp to an ankle injury.

It's still early in the season, but with the Seattle Seahawks moving to 2-0 on Sunday and the San Francisco 49ers at 1-1, head coach Sean McVay's group is in an unusual position.

Their 67 points allowed and -37 net points are both second-worst in the NFL, only better than the Carolina Panthers (0-2). The Rams' 30 points scored is also tied for fourth fewest among teams that have played two games entering Monday.

For now, Los Angeles can cross its collective fingers regarding Kupp's status, but at the very least, his injury is yet another worrisome trend regarding the health of a Rams player.

The injury bug started hitting the squad over the summer when Pro Bowl wideout Puka Nacua suffered a knee injury during training camp. He made it back for the team's Week 1 "Sunday Night Football" defeat against the Detroit Lions, but played just 25 snaps before going down with a PCL sprain. Nacua was placed on injured reserve last week.

Linemen Joe Noteboom and Steve Avila were also placed on IR following the Week 1 contest with an ankle sprain and sprained MCL, respectively.

Right tackle Rob Havenstein returned on Sunday after missing Week 1 with an ankle issue and left tackle Alaric Jackson was suspended for the first two contests of the year after violating the league's personal conduct policy. Projected starting cornerback Darious Williams is also currently on IR due to a hamstring strain.

If Kupp can suit up for Week 3, he'll join ninth-year pro DeMarcus Robinson and fifth-year player Tyler Johnson in three-wide sets, with sixth-round rookie Jordan Whittington and fourth-year pass-catcher Tutu Atwell serving as depth pieces.

Starting tight end Tyler Higbee is recovering from ACL and MCL tears that he suffered in January and it was reported in mid-August that he was expected to miss the start of the 2024 season.

The Rams will have their first home game of the year on Sunday vs. the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.