Sean McVay shares dire injury update for Davante Adams in post-game wrap-up

The 11-3 Los Angeles Rams are atop the NFC and are the first conference team to lock in a playoff berth. While that relieves some pressure on this team, the fact is that it came at a rather steep cost. The Week 15 victory over the 8-6 Detroit Lions was riddled with injuries, the extent of which will be felt in Week 16.

An injury to left tackle Alaric Jackson appeared to be short-lived, as was an injury to wide receiver Puka Nacua. But an injury that forced wide receiver Davante Adams to perch on the sidelines was not temporary. In fact, it was not until the post-game wrap-up that head coach Sean McVay was able to elaborate for reporters, describing the play involving Adams' injury as 'not looking good.'

To further elaborate, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport shared this sobering message, that seemed to suggest that Adams would not be back until the upcoming NFL playoffs. Hoo boy.

The upcoming Week 16 game falls on a short week, one in which the Rams must suit up and travel to face the Seattle Seahawks. But so what? The Rams are in the playoffs. Why should a Thursday Night Football game matter? Ah, but it does have huge implications.

Rams are caught between a rock and a hard place in Week 16

The NFC West Division is the most competitive in the NFL. The 11-3 Rams are atop the division right now thanks to a victory over the 11-3 Seattle Seahawks. But right behind both teams stands the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers. And that's a problem.

The three teams' schedules are such that the Rams cannot afford a loss to either the Seahawks or to the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals, right now. Failing to win both games creates a new playoff configuration, one in which either the Seahawks or 49ers win the division, and the Rams fall to the wildcard tier.

Adams is a solid runner-up in terms of receiving yards, but his 14 receiving touchdowns will be impossible to easily replace going forward. Against the Seahawks earlier this season, Adams caught one pass for just one yard and one touchdown.

Such is his impact on this offense.

Even if Adams says he can play in Week 16, should he? While the urgency to win Week 16 is irrefutable, the need to have Adams healthy for the NFL Playoffs is equally undeniable. And Los Angeles has placed less importance on where the team is seeded. The higher priority seems to be arriving healthy in recent years.

But this team has landed in a wild-card spot recently. Not since 2018 has LA been seeded this highly this late in the season. Will that make a difference?

The good news is that Adams did walk off the field on his own. And he is a veteran who knows his body and what he is capable of doing. Still, in a game with so much on the line, Adams has transformed from a certain scorer to an unlikely participant.

Nobody is ruling the touchdown king out just yet, but it doesn't looke overly optimistic at this point. Still, where there is a will, there is a way.

And as always, thanks for reading.