Looks like LA Rams get few breaks against Seahawks in Week 1

When it comes to games that pit the LA Rams against the Seattle Seahawks, it's typically more a matter of physicality and endurance than deception and surprise. After all, both teams know one another intimately and have become the spoiler for one another. Sometimes it comes to durability. Other times it comes down to a surprising performance. And I cannot rule out the chance impact of luck either.

Perhaps a rough setback for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 is the delay to rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba's NFL debut. While the NFL Injury reports will not be released until Wednesday, September 6, 2023, the current expectation is that Smith-Njigba will not suit up to face the LA Rams.

The Rams secondary may benefit from an early reprieve, it seems.

What's up with Kupp?

While the Rams are unlikely to face Seahawks rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the team must face their own struggles in the receiver room. If you didn't know, Cooper Kupp recently traveled to Minnesota to consult with a soft tissue specialist to determine why he has been fighting through a lingering hamstring injury.

This injury was initially reported on August 1, and the Rams seemed to be confident that a measured and deliberate rest with a slow and gradual return would have Kupp on track to compete in Week 1. As of now, the latest reports from the LA Rams indicate that Kupp remains on a day-to-day evaluation. It's a hot topic in the NFL, so hot that ESPN Insider Adam Schefter has a feature story on the latest updates:

The LA Rams will need all hands on deck to win games this season. But seeing as how he is entering the season injured, how much incentive do the Rams have to rush him back? I suspect that the Rams will not play Kupp in Week 1, as his injury is of a nature that can linger and be reaggravated later in the season.

My suspicions proved to be correct, as the Rams designated WR Cooper Kupp, backup QB Stetson Bennett, and TE Hunter Long to IR. While that creates a new set of problems for the Rams roster this season (we'll discuss it in a future article), it does open up some roster slots for the immediate future as well.