Rams and Redskins Week 2 game day inactive list and updates

Game day is finally here and the St. Louis Rams are chasing a 2-0 start for the first time since 2001. This week the Rams travel to FedEx Field in Washington to take on Alfred Morris, Kirk Cousins and the rest of the Redskins bunch at 1pm ET. Washington will be without a few key players, but St. Louis received some good news at running back this afternoon.

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St. Louis Inactives:

The Rams escaped Week 1 relatively healthy, but still saw defensive end Eugene Sims go down with an ankle injury, among others. They received some good news today when it as revealed that running back Tre Mason will be able to play, although it may be in a limited basis.

Sep 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick (83) Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Other inactive players include running back Todd Gurley, quarterback Sean Mannion, running back Chase Reynolds, offensive tackle Darrell Williams, guard Cody Wichmann, wide receiver Brian Quick and the previously mentioned Sims. For the second week in a row, Quick is inactive. Not a good sign for a receiver that desperately needs the snaps.

Gurley was a game time decision all the way up until warm-ups this afternoon, and it may have been a bit overzealous to think the rookie back would make his debut in Week 2. But the optimism is there that he may finally step on to that field in Week 3 or 4. That’s great news considering the timetable after training camp pegged him returning no earlier than Week 6.

Washington Inactives:

The Redskins and Cousins will be without their number one wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson came up limping on an overthrown ball in Week 1 against the Dolphins and is expected to miss the next two weeks after today.

Aug 29, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) directs receivers before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Other inactive players include, quarterback Robert Griffin III, cornerback Justin Rogers, offensive guard Spencer Long, linebacker Martrell Spaight, offensive tackle Tom Compton and offensive guard Arie Kouandjio.

Taking Jackson out of the mix really reduces this Washington team to a one-dimensional offense. However, Morris was able to put up 121 rushing yards on 25 carries in Week 1 against a good Dolphins team, so to simply discount this offense would be foolish. Cousins will have his hands full though with the front-four of the Rams as they racked up six sacks against Seattle and face another porous offensive line today.

Game Notes:

Running back Isaiah Pead is still active for Week 2, but will should see a reduced role from last week. As many Rams fans are still reeling from his late game antics which caused him to fumble the ball late in the game and almost fumble away a Rams win, they can rest a little easier this week. With the return of Mason, expect Pead to be relegated to special teams.

Speaking of Mason. The Rams leading rusher from last year will see his first action of the 2015 season this afternoon. Expect head coach Jeff Fisher to get Mason involved in the offense early, but he will still split the action with Benny Cunningham who racked up almost 130 total yards in last week’s victory.

Nick Foles showed some serious grit and determination last week by carrying his team back from the brink. He hooked up for more than a few big plays with his tight end duo of Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks. Expect some more of this today as Foles and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. continue to build chemistry and transform this offense. A healthy dose of long-balls is on the menu for the afternoon.

Finally, wide receiver/ punt return specialist/ running back/ swiss army knife Tavon Austin will look to make an impact once again against Washington. He was very productive last week returning a punt 75-yards for a touchdowns and scored a rushing touchdown. Cignetti and his staff have done a good job getting the speedy and creative Austin involved in this offense, and good money says that will continue today. We can’t expect lighting to strike every week, but with Austin, the chances are higher than the average.