Loss of Zuerlein terrible timing for Los Angeles Rams before playoffs

In what came as an unexpected surprise, the Los Angeles Rams placed kicker Greg Zuerlein on IR with a back injury.

This year has been filled with plenty of great stories for the Los Angeles Rams when considering the team went from four wins all of last season to being one of the top contenders in the NFC sitting at 10-4 with two games to go. In fact, there are a good amount of football fans across the country that strongly believe the Rams have what it takes to make a run at the Super Bowl, although now they’re going to have to do it without their beloved kicker, Greg Zuerlein.

In a move that seemed to come out of nowhere, Los Angeles announced on Wednesday how Zuerlein would miss the remainder of the season with a back injury, which is devastating since the kicker was already on pace to finishing with a historic year. The fact that Zuerlein crushed his previous career high of 26 field goals made after converting 38 of 40 kicks in 14 games this season shows how reliable he’s been for the Rams, and no matter how hard Sam Ficken tries as his replacement, it’s not even going to come close to being the same.

Along with his impressive kicking numbers, Zuerlein also became the first player in NFL history to earn NFC Special Player of the Month honors, showing just how valuable he’s been to Los Angeles all season. As for what this means for the Rams moving forward as they look to wrap up the NFC West title this weekend against the Tennessee Titans, well let’s just say it’s not going to be an easy adjustment using Ficken.

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There’s a reason why Zuerlein had been drawing such high praise this year when looking at the impact he’s made on special teams, and when looking at how difficult it can be to find reliable kickers, this recent news comes at a terrible time for Los Angeles. Sure, the offense will still be in solid shape with Jared Goff and Todd Gurley running the show, but if Ficken struggles with handling the pressure of joining a team considered to be a Super Bowl contender, the Rams could be in serious trouble.