Final Rams injury report for Week 18 unveils Rams roster strategy

It is Week 18 for the LA Rams in their 2024 NFL schedule, the final game of a 17-game season. With the Rams clinching the NFC West Division title, the game has little meaning for either team in terms of postseason competition. For the Rams, a victory ensures that the team will finish no worse than third-seeding in the NFC. A loss will open the door to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers victory sliding the Rams to fourth-seed.

In either scenario, the Rams will host either the fifth or sixth seed in the NFC. Beyond the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, the Rams will almost certainly travel to face further playoff opponents on the road.

For the Seattle Seahawks, a team that pushed the Rams to the brink this season, a victory does little more that provide them a moral victory of sorts. Already eliminated, winning in Week 18 can serve as a springboard for a team that bested the San Francisco 49er and Arizona Cardinals, and positions the organization for future success.

The Rams enter Week 18 riding a five game winning streak. with the most recent wins coming from excellent play on the defensive side of the football. The Seattle Seahawks have won five of their last seven game, but their offense struggled to defeat the Chicago Bears in Week 17, narrowly getting that win by the score of 6-3.

Seattle Seahawks Injuries

• OT Abraham Lucas - Abdomen/Knee - Out
• CB Josh Jobe - Knee - Out
• DT Byron Murphy - Back - Questionable

Seahawks Reserve Injured (IR)

• FS Jerrick Reed
• G Anthony Bradford
• LB Travis Gipson
• LB Joshua Ojuniogu
• NT Cameron Young
• RB Kenneth Walker III
• SS K'Von Wallace
• OT George Fant
• TE Brady Russell

Because this is the last game of the 2024 NFL season for the Seahawks, you can be certain that any player not ruled out for Week 18 will suit up. That means that rookie DT Byron Murphy will almost certainly play in this game.

Los Angeles Rams roster

Rams Reserve Injured (IR)

• OL K.T. Leveston (IR/Designated to return)
• DB John Johnson III
• DB Derion Kendrick
• OT Conor McDermott
• DB Tre Tomlinson
• DT Larrell Murchison
• ILB Troy Reeder
• OLB Nick Hampton

Rams Injuries

Here are the players listed in the Rams final injury report:

• OT Rob Havenstein - Shoulder - Out
• QB Matthew Stafford - NIR - Doubful
• WR Puka Nacua - NIR - Doubtful
• WR Cooper Kupp - NIR - Doubtful
• RB Kyren Williams - NIR - Doubtful
• OL Alaric Jackson - NIR - Doubtful
• IOL Kevin Dotson - NIR - Doubtful

The real story for Week 18 is who the Rams will sit for this game. So let's break this one down for you. The Rams will start veteran backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 18 in place of starting QB Matthew Stafford. The team will start Joe Noteboom at LT, Jonah Jackson at RG, and almost certainly will start OT Warren McClendon Jr. at right tackle:

The starting wide receivers in Week 18 will likely be WR Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell, with a mix of some plays from Tyler Johnson, Jordan Whittington, and or Xavier Smith as a third and fourth receiver option in the game.

At running back, look for rookie Blake Corum to get a lot of work, while the team could give some carries to Ronnie Rivers. Since there are no announcements about the tight end position, the team could simply employ the rotation from Week 17, and use all four tight ends in small rotational roles.

The Rams have made no reservations about sitting players on the defensive side of the football. That makes sense, as Andrew Whitworth discussed recently. The Rams' defense is playing red hot right now, so there is a greater risk of upsetting both the chemistry and the communication by sitting players.

Seeing how the Rams defense handles a game with so many offensive starters sitting this Week is just one more intriguing aspect of the game. And as always, thanks for reading.

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