WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — A preseason Super Bowl favorite now sits at 2-4 and absorbed another round of bad news Monday, when coach Sean McVay said the Rams will be without two players for the rest of the season and a third for up to 10 weeks after Sunday's home loss to Arizona.
Kicker Blake Grupe, playing his first game for Los Angeles, tore his ACL while trying to tackle returner Devin Duvernay on the kickoff after his own 44-yard field goal. The team moved him to injured reserve Monday afternoon. Nose tackle Poona Ford is also done for the year after rupturing his triceps.
Receiver Davante Adams ruptured a hamstring muscle and is expected to miss six to 10 weeks. Defensive end Kobie Turner strained his groin and is likely headed to injured reserve, though the club plans to use one of its return designations on him.
The kicking job has been a mess all season. The Rams released Harrison Mevis after he missed both field goal tries, including a blocked potential winner, in an overtime loss to Buffalo a week earlier. With Grupe hurt Sunday, they tried a failed two-point conversion after their first touchdown, passed up a field goal on fourth down, and had punter Ethan Evans handle the lone extra point. Los Angeles ranks last in the league in special teams expected points added. McVay said a replacement should be in place within a day or two.
Grupe, undrafted in 2023, had made 86 of 105 career field goal attempts with stops in New Orleans, Indianapolis and the New York Jets before joining the Rams.
There was little relief elsewhere. Pass rusher Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year acquired in an offseason trade, has been on injured reserve since Sept. 17 and will not practice this week. Cornerback Trent McDuffie is improving from a groin injury, with his status for Sunday's game at Las Vegas to be decided late in the week.
The Rams are at the bottom of the NFC West.
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