Tag: Rob Havenstein

Rams-Commanders injury report: Rob Havenstein questionable, Brian Robinson Jr. out

Rob Havenstein and Tutu Atwell will be questionable for Sunday, while Brian Robinson Jr. has been ruled out for the Commanders

Rob Havenstein left last week’s game with a groin injury and was unable to return. Sean McVay said he wanted to get back in the game, but he ultimately never returned to the field.

He didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and the Rams held him out again on Friday for the third straight day. McVay told reporters Friday that Havenstein is questionable to play on Sunday against the Commanders, indicating it could be a game-time decision.

Tutu Atwell, who’s in the concussion protocol, is also questionable for this weekend’s game. McVay said he’s progressing but still hasn’t cleared the protocol, so he must do that before he can play.

Additionally, Tyler Higbee is “trending up” and should be ready to play against the Commanders, as McVay has anticipated since the start of the week. Higbee missed Week 14 with a neck injury.

On the Commanders’ side, Brian Robinson Jr. has already been ruled out with a hamstring injury, so that’s a big loss for Washington. He’s their leading rusher with 664 yards and five touchdowns, while also adding 326 yards receiving with three more touchdowns.

Defensive end James Smith-Williams is also out, and the Commanders activated guard Saahdiq Charles, so he’ll likely get the start at left guard against Aaron Donald.

Rams injury report: Rob Havenstein misses 2nd straight practice

Rob Havenstein was held out of practice again, but Tutu Atwell and Tyler Higbee are making progress

After holding just a walkthrough on Wednesday, the Rams hit the field for a more traditional practice Thursday. Unfortunately, Rob Havenstein was not out there with the rest of the team for the second straight day.

Havenstein was listed as a non-participant again on Thursday, the only Rams player to miss practice. Tutu Atwell is in the concussion protocol but he seems to be making progress. He was listed as limited, as were Ben Skowronek and Michael Hoecht.

Tyler Higbee was upgraded from limited to a full participant, so he remains on track to return from his neck injury this week. Sean McVay said on Monday that the expectation is Higbee will play against the Commanders, and he seems likely to do so.

Quentin Lake was a full participant for the second straight day, and he’s also expected to return from the hamstring injury that’s kept him out three weeks in a row.

Rams injury report: Rob Havenstein, Tutu Atwell DNP Wednesday

Rob Havenstein and Tutu Atwell were both non-participants on Wednesday, and Sean McVay isn’t sure if Havenstein will play Sunday

The Los Angeles Rams opened their week of preparation with a walkthrough on Wednesday, after which Sean McVay provided some injury updates. He told reporters that Rob Havenstein and Tutu Atwell were both non-participants, while Tyler Higbee, Ben Skowronek and Michael Hoecht were all limited.

Havenstein has a groin injury that he suffered in Sunday’s loss, and Atwell is currently in the concussion protocol. Higbee missed Week 14 with a neck injury so he’s still being limited by that, but the Rams hope he can play against the Commanders on Sunday.

As for Havenstein’s status for Sunday, McVay said he’s “not sure” if he’ll be able to play because of how tricky soft-tissue injuries can be. He did say that Havenstein is “making good progress,” though, which is a positive sign.

The full injury report for both the Rams and Commanders can be found below.

Rams RT Rob Havenstein questionable to return due to hip injury

Rob Havenstein left the game with a hip injury in the first quarter and is questionable to return

Rob Havenstein is arguably the Rams’ most consistent and reliable offensive lineman, but he unfortunately suffered a hip injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Ravens and had to exit.

The Rams are listing him as questionable to return, and he’s since been replaced by Joe Noteboom at right tackle. Hopefully the injury isn’t a serious one because the Rams are a significantly better team with him on the field.

Matthew Stafford credits offensive line for performance vs. Browns

Matthew Stafford wasn’t sacked in the Rams’ 36-19 victory over the Browns in Week 13.

Matthew Stafford has strung together back-to-back productive outings for the Los Angeles Rams after throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns versus the Cleveland Browns in Week 13. Stafford dealt with a clean pocket for the majority of the game, which led to the veteran quarterback making it a priority to credit his offensive line for their performance in Sunday’s win.

“Thank you. I was going to say something if nobody asked me,” Stafford said of the O-line. “My guys were balling today so I was so fired up. That’s a hell of a rush. They were bringing pressures, they were rushing four, they were doing all sorts of stuff to us and our guys to step up there and protect the way they did today was amazing. And then be able to really lean on them in the fourth quarter too and run the rock when we needed to. A couple times, Kyren (Williams) got downhill and we were able to ice the game that way. So proud of those guys. It shows up the way they work, the way they go about their business every single day. I thought we had a great plan but shoot, we threw the rock. We weren’t sitting there just protecting those guys up front. We were just saying let’s go play our game and have a lot of confidence in those guys and proud of the way they played.”

The Browns entered Week 13 as one of the best defenses in the NFL, with Jim Schwartz dialing up exotic blitzes to generate pressure on quarterbacks. While Myles Garrett wasn’t fully healthy on Sunday, the Rams didn’t allow Stafford to be sacked and the Browns totaled 14 pressures.

Those numbers are mighty impressive considering the Browns have four players who have tallied 24 or more pressures this season. The five starting offensive linemen for the Rams were credited with only nine pressures allowed as rookie Steve Avila didn’t surrender a single pressure in pass protection.

The current starting group of Alaric Jackson, Avila, Coleman Shelton, Kevin Dotson, and Rob Havenstein has become a cohesive unit in the last month or so. Following two straight dominant performances in the trenches, the offensive line will look to carry their success into Week 14 versus the Baltimore Ravens.

Rams injury report: Matthew Stafford a full participant, Puka Nacua limited

Matthew Stafford is back to being a full participant in practice, but Puka Nacua and 3 others are still limited

Fresh off their bye, the Los Angeles Rams come into Week 11 much healthier than they were the last time they took the field against the Green Bay Packers. Matthew Stafford, Ernest Jones and Rob Havenstein are all expected to return after missing Week 9, and the initial injury report on Wednesday gives no reason to doubt that.

Sean McVay provided updates on the Rams’ injuries before practice and only four players will be limited:

  • Rob Havenstein (calf)
  • Cobie Durant (shoulder)
  • Larrell Murchison (knee)
  • Puka Nacua (knee)

Everyone else will be a full participant, including Stafford. McVay said Stafford will throw in practice and there will be no limitations in terms of taking snaps under center because of his thumb injury.

McVay also said Havenstein is “tracking well” and he still expects the big right tackle to suit up against the Seahawks on Sunday. As for Nacua, “he’s just banged up,” McVay said.

“Just the style at which he plays, I’ll be interested to see if he’s ever truly back full speed – not full speed, but feeling like you don’t have to be cognizant of taking care of him to get him to game day feeling as good as possible,” he added.

The full injury report for both the Seahawks and Rams can be seen below.

Rams vs. Cowboys inactives: Rob Havenstein, Tyron Smith both out Sunday

The Rams and Cowboys will each be without one of their starting linemen on Sunday as both Rob Havenstein and Tyron Smith are inactive

The Los Angeles Rams came into Sunday with three players listed as questionable, including Rob Havenstein. He was the team’s biggest injury concern entering this matchup against the Dallas Cowboys after he tweaked his calf in practice on Thursday, causing him to sit out on Thursday and Friday.

Ernest Jones and Ben Skowronek were also questionable to play, though Sean McVay never seemed concerned about their availability for Sunday. Both Jones and Skowronek are active.

Havenstein is unfortunately inactive, so the Rams will be missing their top lineman and starting right tackle. Joe Noteboom is a good candidate to take his place on the right side.

The Rams’ other inactives are Zach Evans, Nick Hampton, Zach Thomas and Earnest Brown IV. That means Myles Gaskin has officially overtaken Evans on the depth chart and will be active for the Rams this week.

For the Cowboys, their injury report was clean to start the week with no one missing practice on Wednesday, but he suffered a stinger in practice Thursday and is inactive today. That’s a significant blow for the Cowboys, leaving them without one of their starting linemen.

Rams injury report: Rob Havenstein, Ernest Jones questionable vs. Cowboys

Rob Havenstein will be questionable to play against the Cowboys on Sunday after tweaking his calf in practice

The Los Angeles Rams’ injury report wasn’t very long or concerning to start the week, but the outlook got a bit more bleak on Thursday when Rob Havenstein’s name was added to the report.

Sean McVay said Friday that Havenstein “tweaked his calf” in practice Thursday, which caused him to miss practice. The team is being smart with him and taking it a day at a time, so he’ll be questionable to play against the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.

“Rob tweaked his calf so we’ll be smart with him, as well,” McVay said Friday. “He’ll be questionable for the game, so we’ll see over the next couple of days.”

That’s not the only injury concern for Los Angeles this week. Ernest Jones and Ben Skowronek are also questionable, though McVay said at the start of the week that he doesn’t expect Jones or Skowronek to miss the game.

If Havenstein is unable to play against the Cowboys, it would presumably be Joe Noteboom filling in at right tackle, though Warren McClendon Jr. would also be a candidate to start.

For the Cowboys, Tyron Smith is questionable to play after being limited Thursday and Friday.

Rob Havenstein took a page from Andrew Whitworth on Sunday and Sean McVay loved it

Rob Havenstein took a page out of Andrew Whitworth’s book on Sunday and Sean McVay loved it so much that he called Big Whit after the game

When Sean McVay decided to go run-heavy in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, the Rams took over. They shut out Arizona the rest of the way, 20-0, playing a more physical style of football than they did in the first half.

Matthew Stafford loved it, Kevin Dotson did, too. And Rob Havenstein wanted McVay took keep the run plays coming.

On the “Coach McVay Show” Monday, D’Marco Farr pointed out to the coach how Havenstein pulled a page from Andrew Whitworth’s book with his “keep it going” hand motion during the game. McVay noticed that, too, and he absolutely loved it.

“It’s so funny, I called Whit after the game and told him, I said, ‘Bro, you would’ve been so proud of Big Rob. He was giving me one of your deals.’ I told Rob I loved it,” McVay said.

McVay is a players’ coach who always listens to what his guys have to say, and that was one instance where he trusted the offensive line and ground game to keep imposing their will against the Cardinals, knowing they wanted to continue running it. The result was eight straight run plays to open the second half, gaining 60 yards and leading to a touchdown.

“Those are the things that, hey, it’s about the players,” McVay said. “Always has been, always will be. I love that kind of stuff. When they were feeling it, they were able to get in a rhythm, they were able to set their pads and they certainly executed. I did love that when he was doing that. That came pretty early after those first couple of runs ended up hitting on that first drive of the second half.”

Whitworth and McVay had a great relationship, both on and off the field, and the veteran left tackle was always willing to share his thoughts with the coach. Havenstein has taken on more of a leadership role in the offensive line room, especially after being voted a captain, so it’s fitting that he’d pull one of Whitworth’s moves on Sunday.

Matthew Stafford, 7 other Rams among NFL’s highest-graded players of Week 6

Matthew Stafford is the highest-graded QB of Week 6, but he’s not the only Rams player who ranks among the best at their positions

It’s amazing how one good half of football can change the narrative surrounding an entire game. That was the case for the Los Angeles Rams, who failed to score a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday before outscoring them 20-0 in the final two quarters.

They cruised to a 26-9 victory at home, in large part because of the way Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford and the offensive line played in the second half. The defenses wasn’t too bad, either, allowing zero second-half points to Arizona.

When Pro Football Focus released its game grades for the Rams’ win, there were several players who received high praise from the analytics site. Stafford was chief among them, ranking as the highest-graded quarterback in the league for Week 6 with a grade of 90.0. The next-closest quarterback is Kirk Cousins, who had a grade of 83.5.

Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert still have to play on Monday night, but Stafford has been the best quarterback of the week so far. Seven other Rams players were also graded among the best players at their respective positions, all of them ranking in the top six.

  • Matthew Stafford: 90.0 (1st among QBs)
  • Kyren Williams: 84.8 (3rd among RBs)
  • Cooper Kupp: 87.0 (2nd among WRs)
  • Kevin Dotson: 86.1 (2nd among OL)
  • Rob Havenstein: 82.7 (6th among OL, 3rd among OTs)
  • Byron Young: 87.3 (3rd among edge rushers)
  • Aaron Donald: 85.2 (2nd among DTs)
  • Cobie Durant: 81.4 (6th among CBs)

All eight of the above players were instrumental in the Rams’ victory, with five representing the offense and three on defense. Dotson and Havenstein were dominant on the right side of the line, particularly in the run game, while it was Donald and Young applying constant pressure on Josh Dobbs in the pocket. Williams, Kupp and even Durant were excellent, too.

The Rams are building some momentum with this victory, heading into Week 7 when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Football is the ultimate team sport and it’s always good to see a collection of players like the one above come through with some stellar performances.