If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Fans of the LA Rams have every right to feel that way, as the team seems to be facing as much adversity as any NFL team this season. From starting offensive linemen to defensive backs to their top receivers, and now their starting punter, the team seems to have solved one injury enigma, and two more spring up in its place.
That is not to say that the Seattle Seahawks (4-4) are not without their own strife and adversity. Starting WR DK Metcalf and starting TE Noah Fant have been ruled out of this game. That should bode well for the Rams pass defense, a group that has been improving of late, but still not quite there yet. Metcalf is the Seahawks top receiver, with 568 receiving yards and three touchdowns to his credit in seven games. Fant is their top tight end, chiming in with another 285 receiving yards.
The Rams had their own scare this week at wide receiver, as Puka Nacua reaggravated his knee injury. While the initial reports were quite concerning, the follow up reports indicated that the injury did not cause a major setback, and that Nacua's status for Week 9 remains questionable.
Seahawks IR and injuries
Seahawks Injuries
- DT Cameron Young - Knee - Out
- WR DK Metcalf - Knee - Out
- OT Abraham Lucas - Knee - Out
- TE Noah Fant - Groin - Out
- LB Ernest Jones - Neck - Questionable
Seahawks Reserve Injured (IR)
- CB Artie Burns
- OT George Fant
- OT Stone Forsythe
- S Rayshawn Jenkins
- LB Uchenna Nwosu
- LB Joshua Onujiogu
Former Rams starting inside linebacker Ernest Jones is questionable for this one. After being traded from the team to the Tennessee Titans for next to nothing, the Titans flipped Jones to the Seattle Seahawks for a Round 4 pick and LB Jerome Baker. Now, Jones has the opportunity and the motivation to show his former coaches and teammates why trading him away was not a good idea.
Rams IR and Injuries
Rams IR Physically Unable to Perform (IR/PUP)
- TE Tyler Higbee
Rams IR Designated to Return (IR)
- OT KT Leveston
Rams Reserve Injured (IR)
- C/G Steve Avila
- C/G Jonah Jackson
- DB John Johnson III
- DB Derion Kendrick
- OT Conor McDermott
- OT Joe Noteboom
- DB Tre Tomlinson
- DT Larrell Murchison
- ILB Troy Reeder
Rams Injuries
Here are the players listed in the Rams final injury report:
- DT Neville Gallimore - Shoulder - Out
- OL Joe Noteboom - Ankle - Out
- P Ethan Evans - Illness - Out
- WR Puka Nacua - Knee - Questionable
- WR Jordan Whittington - Shoulder - Questionable
- S Kam Curl - Knee - Questionable
- CB Charles Woods - Toe - Questionable
As you can see by the lengthy list of injured players, the story of the Rams roster in Week 9 is not solely captured by the team's final injury list. The team still has 11 players on IR, and there are limited opportunities to restore them to the active roster.
And this week, the team will have to do without swing tackle Joe Noteboom, who is not quite back from IR yet, surprisingly effective DT Neville Gallimore, who is nursing a shoulder injury, and starting punter Ethan Evans, whose Week 8 heroics helped seal the victory for the Rams.
The team remains hopeful that Puka Nacua can suit up to face the Seahawks, and the latest news about his availability is quite promising:
So it's a battle of familiar foes, and also a battle of attrition for two NFL teams who each want to claim a piece of the NFC West Division title. As it now stands, the clearest path to the 2025 NFL Playoffs is to win the division. The best team (so far) in the NFC Western Division, the Arizona Cardinals (4-4), is no better than the ninth-seed in the NFC.
So this game is clearly winner take all. And as always, thanks for reading.
