The "playoffs start...NOW" St. Louis Rams didn't get any breaks on this week's injury report.
Topping the list is a bruised left thigh for DE Chris Long. He's day to day, and the team will have a better idea about his progress on Wednesday. Toughness has become synonymous with Long, so if he can at all play, he will. Still, you have to worry about the Rams pass rush ability if Long is at all slowed by this injury. And if he can't play...well, let's not even go there yet.
Fullback and special teamer Britt Miller tore his ACL, as feared, and is done for the season. Mike Karney returns at FB, and I suspect he'll be motivated. Since the Rams offense refuses to move the ball more than 5 yards at a time, maybe having Karney back in the mix means they'll starting getting better results on power runs.
It's not all bad news though. Spagnuolo told reporters at his presser today that the Rams are "hopeful" that TE Michael Hoomanawanui and RB Kenneth Darby can practice this week. Why the possible return of Uh Oh is exciting needs no explanation, other than players who can consistently catch the ball are few and far between for the Rams. Darby's role as a pass blocker was definitely missed over the last two games, though his absence isn't responsible for all of the pressure that came Bradford's way over the last two games.
Spagnuolo had this to say about the upcoming game against the 49ers:
We know what we're faced with right now. It's a must-win game. That's the situation we're in and everybody understand it. We'll get to work on Wednesday and try to win a football game.
Is Spags becoming the Neville Chamberlain of head coaches? Whatever it was Yoda said about trying vs. doing comes to mind here. I hate the think of the reaction if the Rams lose that game.