It was not a good day to be a fan of the Los Angeles Rams. A 20-3 loss in Green Bay marked the franchises’ sixth straight loss at Lambeau Field, a place they haven’t won at since 2006.
There are multiple factors that went into Sunday’s loss but one could not be more evident then the stat sheet of Tyler Higbee. The often reliable tight end was a nonfactor with no catches against Green Bay. When asked about the status of his Super Bowl-winning tight end, Sean McVay said Higbee has “been fighting through a lot of stuff.”
“He’s playing with something that restricts his right thumb,” McVay said.
Alluding to his play today, McVay makes a quick mention that Higbee was hurt in today’s contest, allowing all of us to assume that the combination of today’s injury with what he has already been dealing with was a bit too much for him to overcome. Higbee did have one target but he dropped it when colliding with a Packers defender.
This game was a crucial loss for the 3-6 Rams. In games that the Rams either won or lost by three or fewer points, Higbee averaged 3.75 catches and 50.5 receiving yards per game. In their five other games in which the Rams lost by more than three, Higbee averaged 2.2 catches and 16.8 yards per game.
A member of the Rams since their move back to Los Angeles, there’s a reason why Higbee has played his entire career in Los Angeles. While the Rams have let players come and go including second-round pick Gerald Everett, a player McVay wanted, Higbee is still here.
When the Rams have him on the field and in good health, his production and the respect he commands from opposing defenses helps open up the field for everyone else. He was a member of both Super Bowl runs under McVay, he blocked for three 1,000 yard rushing seasons with Todd Gurley and the Rams have only suffered one losing season since Higbee became a full-time starter seven years ago.
Until they get Higbee back to full health, McVay and the coaching staff is going to have to make up for his production in the aggregate. How? Thats a good question, because Brycen Hopkins and Davis Allen have shown very little.
He does so many things that it’s virtually impossible. It should be interesting to see how the Rams manage his injury issues because missing a few games might be the right call for his long term health but it was also sink the ambitions of 2023.