Rams lose key starter for season ahead of playoff game vs Bears
The Los Angeles Rams are going into Chicago on Sunday looking to make it back to the NFC championship game, but they’ll have to do it without one of their key starters.
On Monday, Sean McVay updated the media on the injuries that the Rams sustained during and before their opening playoff win over the Carolina Panthers.
While the main story was centered on MVP frontrunner quarterback Matthew Stafford and his jammed finger against the Panthers, his news wasn’t the worst of the day.
Stafford’s X-ray results came back negative, and he was diagnosed with a sprain, which was seen as a positive for the Rams. McVay signaled that his QB will be ready to go for Soldier Field.
The significant loss came in the worrying Rams secondary, which has been one of the few attackable positions for teams this season against Los Angeles.
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Starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is not only out for the game for the Bears, but has been ruled out for the rest of the playoffs with a fractured scapula. This is the second time in this campaign that Witherspoon broke his scapula, having just recently returned from suffering the same injury in the second week of the season.
The loss of Witherspoon has hit the Rams hard, who have had to mix and match their defensive backs since losing their veteran so early in the season. Expect Roger McCreary, who was traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Rams at the deadline, to be given more time and responsibility as a result of this move.
At the end of the 2024 season, Witherspoon had established himself as the No. 1 cornerback for the Rams. This season, however, he had lost a step, especially after his initial injury, and struggled to find consistency since returning late in the season.
The Rams are set to play the Bears on Sunday, with the time to be decided following the final opening-round playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans on Monday night.
