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List of the seven (7) inactive Rams players:
- QB Sean Mannion
- CB Dwayne Gratz
- G Jamon Brown
- G Pace Murphy
- WR Nelson Spruce
- TE Temarrick Henmingway
- DE Matt Longacre
The absence of Jamon Brown is going to be the biggest obstacle. Brown is no superstar, but his splash plays in the run game are valuable and are far more than his replacement Cody Wichmann can provide. Against a nasty Panthers front, having Brown would have been helpful.
There were talks that maybe Nelson Spruce was going to be ready to go this week, but that’s not the case. He’s sidelined for at least another week. The good news, though, is that fellow rookie wide receiver Pharoh Cooper is finally suiting up for game day.
List of seven (7) inactive Panthers players:
- RB Cameron Artis-Payne
- DT Vernon Butler
- C Ryan Kalil
- TE Chris Manhertz
- OT Michael Oher
- CB Zack Sanchez
- LB Shaq Thompson
Ryan Kalil and Shaq Thompson being out is great for the Rams. Kalil is one of the best centers in the league and anchors Carolina’s interior, while Thompson is a playmaker at linebacker who often makes his presence known early in games.
Also of note, Vernon Butler’s absence hurts Carolina’s defenensive tackle depth a bit. Butler has been good (for a rookie) when healthy.