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Lindsey ThiryESPN
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Uncertainty hangs over the health of the Los Angeles Rams as they begin to prepare for a divisional playoff game at the Green Bay Packers.
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald has a rib injury, wide receiver Cooper Kupp has knee bursitis, quarterback John Wolford has a stinger and quarterback Jared Goff continues to recover from a thumb surgery he underwent on December 28.
Rams coach Sean McVay expressed optimism on Sunday night that Donald and Kupp could return to next Saturday’s dispute, but the quarterback’s situation remains uncertain.
“I just want to see their health,” McVay told Wolford and Goff. “This is the first thing, and let’s start from there.”
McVay said he has not determined who will start against the Packers and has not indicated whether he is leaning in any direction.
Wolford started a second consecutive game on Saturday, in a 30-20 win in the wild card playoff at the Seattle Seahawks, but left with 5:40 to play in the first quarter after suffering a stinger.
Goff entered the game – taken 12 days out of surgery to repair a broken thumb in his pitching hand – and went through 155 yards and a touchdown. Afterwards, Goff said that he did not feel pain in his thumb and that he was “very capable with what I am going on now”, despite being less than 100% healthy.
However, McVay said on Sunday that it was evident that Goff’s injured thumb affected his game, and the coach refused to speculate on who would start against the Packers if Goff’s recovery continued to progress without any setback.
“I will live one day at a time. It affected him yesterday; you see the game, yes,” said McVay of Goff. “And then it may not have been painful, but it was something he did a great job of fighting for, being ready to go; and there were some things he is usually capable of doing that seemed to be a factor.”
Wolford and Goff were Rams’ only active defenders against the Seahawks, but McVay said that, due to the circumstances, he would possibly keep a third defender active against the Packers.
As for Donald, who registered 13.5 sacks in the regular season and added two more against the Seahawks, McVay declined to provide details when asked about the severity of his rib injury.
“We will be smart with him throughout the week,” said McVay. “But I think if there is anything he will do, he will do everything in his power to be ready to go.”
Donald suffered an injury in the third quarter in Seattle when he hit quarterback Russell Wilson, who appeared to hit Donald in the ribs. Donald left the game and did not return.
Kupp left the game in the fourth period, although McVay said his injury did not occur in any specific play.
“We will monitor that day by day for him and hopefully decrease the swelling and inflammation with the expectation of having him ready to go,” said McVay.
McVay also said that left-back David Edwards, who left Saturday’s play in the second quarter, has Achilles tendonitis and will be on a day-to-day basis. If he cannot play, Bobby Evans will start on the left guard.