LA Rams game day primer: NFL Playoffs Divisional Round shocker

The LA Rams are in the NFL Playoffs Divisional Round. They have advanced in spite of a laundry list of reasons why they should not be here. The Rams are winning games that many Goff-is-not-my-quarterback fans believe that they should not be winning. And yet, here we are. Just three victories away now from the ultimate football achievement, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

To no surprise, the LA Rams are once more an underdog on the road this week. But isn’t that the way the Rams prefer, as the Rams are a very good underdog on the road? The Rams have a stifling top-rated defense, a rejuvenated rushing offense, a placekicker that has been a marksman in the past four games, and a quarterback/head coach combination that has a 3-2 record in postseason play over the past four seasons.

How healthy are these Rams?

The LA Rams had cause for concern during the Wild Card Round against the Seattle Seahawks last weekend. While the Rams did win the game in a rather convincing fashion by the final score of 30-20, the team was dealing with injuries for the majority of the game. The team suffered minor injuries to running back Cam Akers and outside linebacker Leonard Floyd which forced both players to sit out for a few snaps.

But the headlines were the ankle injury to left guard David Edwards, forcing the team to send Bobby Evans onto the field as his replacement. With a lead, the team also pulled left tackle Andrew Whitworth to the sidelines to ensure his availability for this week’s Divisional Round contest against the Green Bay Packers. The Rams also were forced to send injured QB Jared Goff onto the field after backup quarterback John Wolford was sent to the hospital for observation. Wolford is expected to make a full recovery but has been ruled out against the Packers.

The shocker occurred when All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald injured his ribs when tackling Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. He suffered labored breathing and was in pain. He did not return to the game and was later diagnosed with torn rib cartilage. While that will be sore for weeks, We expect him to start against the Packers