LA Rams won’t face Buccaneers pass rusher Shaq Barrett

The LA Rams may not have the strongest offensive line this season, but they are getting a minor bit of good luck as they prepare to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. Buccaneers veteran outside linebacker, Shaq Barrett, has suffered a torn Achilles Tendon and is out for the season. While no injury to an NFL player is worth any form of celebration, it does mean that the Rams’ offensive line, itself a victim to an unprecedented outbreak of injuries, will not face a competent pass rusher.

Barrett has been moved to Injured Reserve and will be out for the remainder of this season.

Of course, that may not help the Rams much. Barrett is only one of eight Tampa Bay Buccaneers who have recorded multiple quarterback sacks this season, and their defense has 25 sacks on the season. In stark contrast, the Rams’ defense has only four players with multiple quarterback sacks, and the entire defense has only recorded 15 quarterbacks so far on the season.

Rams offensive line starting the same 5?

The LA Rams offensive line started Alaric Jackson, Bobby Evans, Brian Allen, Oday Aboushi, and Rob Havenstein in Game 7, and for the most part, the offensive line put up a pretty good showing. Well, all but left guard Bobby Evans, who allowed four of the eight quarterback pressures in the game.  While this was not his first game where he struggled, the Rams seem to resist any decision to trial another offensive lineman in that role.

Meanwhile, Rams center Brian Allen has suffered some swelling in his knee, the same knee that held him out of four games for the Rams this season.

Still, this week’s game could be the first time this season in which the Rams start the same five offensive linemen for two consecutive games. Just to clarify, many teams are starting the same five offensive linemen for their eighth or ninth consecutive game. Perhaps that is why the LA Rams resisted making a change on their offensive line at the NFL Trade Deadline.

This team has had plenty of change already this season. Perhaps the team is looking for some continuity?  In any case, the Rams’ offensive line truly needs to step up and perform at its very best this week.