The Los Angeles Rams suffered a hard-fought 26-20 loss in their Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions, but it's safe to say they put up a good fight considering all the injury attrition they endured in this game. The Rams offensive line in front of Matthew Stafford was pretty banged up entering this game, and they left in even worse condition after they suffered their season-opening loss.
One guy who ended up being forced out of the game early was left guard Steve Avila, which was a pretty big loss considering how Los Angeles was already playing with their starting left tackle Alaric Jackson. Avila left the game with a knee injury, and it was revealed on Monday morning that the Rams believed their talented young offensive lineman had suffered an MCL sprain.
Via Ian Rapoport:
“Rams starting guard Steve Avila, who left last night's game with a knee injury, is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain, sources say. He'll have an MRI and further testing today to determine the full extent.”
Matthew Stafford will be hoping Steve Avila can make a swift return for Rams
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Avila was the 36th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, and he immediately slotted in as the Rams starting left guard as a rookie. He put together a strong campaign during his first year in the league, and with the other injury concerns Los Angeles was dealing with across their o-line, having Avila at their disposal was a huge win.
But now, he will likely be out for a couple weeks as he recovers from this injury, further depleting the Rams offensive line. Jackson will miss Week 2 as he finishes serving his two-game suspension, starting right tackle Rob Havenstein missed the Lions game with an ankle injury, and his backup, Joe Noteboom, was also forced out of the game early with an ankle injury of his own.
While Avila should be able to return at some point this season, the Rams offensive line is going to be a pretty makeshift group in front of Stafford over the next few weeks. They had their struggles against the Lions, but they still nearly managed to pull off an upset victory. The hope is that Avila will be able to get back on the field sooner rather than later, but in the immediate future, Los Angeles is going to have to figure out how to keep Stafford standing upright in the pocket now that another offensive lineman is on the mend.
