LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams will be without starting right tackle Rob Havenstein and backup Joe Noteboom is “doubtful” against the New England Patriots on Sunday, head coach Sean McVay said Friday. That likely means second-year tackle Warren McClendon will get his third-ever start instead.
“Ready to play (and) excited,” McClendon said Friday afternoon. “Just trying to keep my emotions calm and steady, not get too high or too low and making sure I’m going over the game plan (and) know everything, got everything down.”
McVay also declined to name a starting center when asked directly, although he admitted that his reasoning was due to gamesmanship and that the team knows who it will be. Rookie Beaux Limmer filled in for starter Jonah Jackson while the latter recovered from a shoulder injury between Weeks 2 and 10. Jackson returned to the starting lineup in Monday night’s loss to the Miami Dolphins, where he and the offensive line as a whole struggled. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was pressured 15 times, hit six times and sacked four times. He and Jackson also botched a snap. It was nearly fumbled but resulted in a sack for a 13-yard loss.
“I think you have to acknowledge the fact that 60 percent of our guys that were out there hadn’t played football in months,” McVay said on Wednesday. “You always try to simulate those things in practice settings, but it’s very difficult. You always want to make sure that as a coach you’re putting guys in positions to have success. I know guys are competing to the best of their ability, but there were some things that we expect better.”
Final injury report for Rams/Pats pic.twitter.com/rGrEMlEhA0
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The 4-5 Rams have had to strike a strange balance with their offensive line all season due to repeated injuries among the group, plus a two-game suspension for starting left tackle Alaric Jackson for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy to start the year.
Havenstein also missed Week 1 while recovering from an ankle injury. Starting left guard Steve Avila left that game with a knee injury and had surgery, only returning in Week 10. Noteboom also injured his ankle in Week 1, then returned in Week 10 but re-injured his ankle and did not practice this week. Havenstein returned in Week 2. Limmer, a sixth-round draft pick, replaced Jackson. After trying out backup guard Logan Bruss at left guard in Avila’s place, the Rams eventually benched Bruss and elevated undrafted free agent rookie Justin Dedich to the role.
In Weeks 7-9, continuity among that latter group — Alaric Jackson, Dedich, Limmer, Havenstein and Kevin Dotson (the lone offensive lineman who hasn’t missed a snap, though has played through ankle and toe injuries) — was a visible advantage, especially in pass protection, aiding the Rams’ three-game winning streak. Against the Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings in Weeks 7 and 8 (over a five-day span), the Rams allowed just 13 total pressures inclusive of skill players assigned to blitz pickups.
When asked about the offensive line’s performance, McVay said after the Week 10 loss to Miami that it was “a lesson in the importance of continuity.” That was direct commentary on his coaches and his decision to swap Limmer and Jackson, and could potentially lead to another switch back to Limmer at center.
The Rams have yet to play a game with their intended starting lineup after placing a contract tender on Alaric Jackson in the spring, signing Jonah Jackson to a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency and extending right guard Kevin Dotson on a three-year, $48 million contract.
When healthy and back in a steady practice routine, Jonah Jackson should still be one of the team’s best linemen. Jackson only got about 15 total practices at center after initially signing with the Rams as a left guard. Avila worked all spring and summer with Stafford at center, until the two weeks leading up to the season opener when the coaching staff moved Avila back to left guard and placed Jackson at center.
Injuries up front have also been a factor in the Rams’ lack of rushing production this season. They rank No. 28 in the NFL in rushing yards, No. 31 in yards per carry with just 3.8 per attempt and No. 24 in total rushing EPA, with a rushing success rate of just 39.9 percent (which is No. 11). They also have the eighth-fewest carries (317).
“Any good offense has the ability to do both (run and pass),” McVay said on Friday. “This is an 11-on-11 game. You’re always trying to attack certain things as they’re trying to stop or vice versa.
“If you commit to one thing and you don’t have the ability to make them pay for (that with) leverages, angles or numbers that you can create, you’re going to make it hard on yourself. That is why it is so important to be a fully functional offense. The most complete offense that we’ve ever had here … had the ability to do both. That’s something that we’re always striving to do. That’s been an area of inconsistency for us this year.”
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(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
