The 8-4 Los Angeles Rams will have to do battle Monday night without star cornerback Jalen Ramsey and starting tight end Tyler Higbee.
More hours before kickoff against the first-place Arizona Cardinals, the Rams announced that both players have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
It’s not yet known whether Ramsey or Higbee tested positive for the virus. It’s also uknown whether they are unvaccinated and were deemed close contacts with someone who tested positive.
Either way, both star players are out for Los Angeles in one of the biggest games of the season for the team.
In particular, the loss of Jalen Ramsey hurts big time. He’d be lined up against star Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. With Ramsey now sidelined, the expectation is that Kyler Murray will be tasked with throwing the ball a lot in this one.
The Rams find themselves at 8-4 on the season and two games behind the Cardinals in the NFC West. They are currently the fifth seed in the conference. A loss to Arizona would also give Los Angeles a mere one-game lead over the division rival San Francisco 49ers. Remember, the Rams lost to San Francisco earlier in the season.
In terms of the broader impact of Monday’s news, it’s not yet known whether Jalen Ramsey and Tyler Higbee will be able to suit up Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks. That will depend on what led to them being place on the reserve-COVID-19 list.