Rams Wednesday practice report light on defense

A multitude of issues kept four of the St. Louis Rams regular defensive linemen out of practice on Wednesday. Defensive ends Chris Long (knee), Robert Quinn (knee), William Hayes (thigh) and defensive tackle Nick Fairley (illness) were all listed as non-participants in Wednesday’s practice. Long was not active for last week’s win over the Browns and looks to be sidelined again this week against the San Francisco 49ers. Long injured his knee in a collision during the loss to Green Bay in Week 5.

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The injuries along the line doesn’t seem to have slowed the defensive production however. The defense ranks second in the league with 23.0 sacks and find themselves only three sacks behind league leading Denver. Pressure on the quarterback is one thing this defense has had no problem producing.

Safety T.J. McDonald (shoulder) was also absent from practice along with running back Tre Mason (ankle).

In better news, cornerback Janoris Jenkins was notably absent from the injury report after dealing with a concussion entering last weeks matchup against Cleveland. Jenkins has emerged as a top corner in the league this year with two interceptions and six passes defended.

Sep 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long (91) stands on the field during warm ups prior to the Rams

Linebacker James Laurinaitis (elbow) and tight end Lance Kendricks (thumb) were full participants on Wednesday. Laurinaitis suffered a hyper extended elbow agains the Browns and Kendricks had surgery on his injured thumb during the bye week, but neither was expected to miss any time.

The Rams will have their usual day off on Thursday, but we can expect an “anticipated” injury report gauging any progress the players listed on the injury report would have made. Expect all the players listed above to progress with Long the only one in danger of missing the teams Week 8 game against San Francisco.

Through seven weeks St. Louis is 3-3, with a 2-0 record int he division and look to stay undefeated against the niners on Sunday. They are currently in second place in the NFC West, and rank 10th in the league in total defense. Unfortunately, offense has been a major issue for this years squad ranking  31st in points per game (18) and 32nd in passing yards per game (177.7).