Rams get major injury boost ahead of Josh Allen showdown
The Rams are hoping to have reinforcements for their “Monday Night Football” battle with the Bills.
With Josh Allen and the NFL’s highest-scoring offense coming to SoFi Stadium, the Rams received some much-needed news regarding three key players on both sides of the ball.
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, cornerback Jaylen Watson and tight end Colby Parkinson returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since suffering their respective injuries.
All three were limited participants, but their presence offered an encouraging sign for a Rams defense that has to prepare for the toughest test thus far in the young season.
Donald, who missed the entire week of practice leading up to Sunday’s dramatic 24-20 comeback victory over the Eagles with back soreness, was spotted working vigorously during the portion of Thursday’s practice open to reporters.
For a player who came out of retirement less than six weeks ago, every step forward matters.
“That’s what the hope is, yes,” Rams coach Sean McVay said when asked whether Donald would play Monday. “We’ll see. The fact that he’s limited is a good thing. We’ll see how he responds, but everything has been progressing in the right direction.”
Watson’s return was even more encouraging and surprising.
The veteran cornerback dislocated his right shoulder late in the second quarter of the Rams’ Week 3 loss to the Broncos and was initially expected to miss several weeks.
Instead, Watson was back on the practice field Thursday, giving Los Angeles hope that its secondary could be closer to full strength against the former NFL MVP.
Parkinson, who missed Sunday’s game with an AC joint injury in his shoulder, also participated but was limited.
“Yes, the plan is to ramp them up throughout the week,” McVay said of the three players. “As long as they progress accordingly, they’ll be ready to go. I want to see how Jaylen feels, Colby is progressing in a positive direction, and with Aaron, see how his back responds.”
However, not all the news out of Rams camp on Thursday was positive.
Safety Quentin Lake did not practice Thursday due to a hip injury, leaving another potential question mark in the secondary.
“He’s doing good. We’re just being smart with him,” McVay said about the injury he suffered Sunday against the Eagles.
The Rams held Philadelphia to 93 passing yards without Donald or Watson. But containing Allen, who leads a Buffalo offense averaging nearly 32 points per game, presents an entirely different challenge, and the Rams will need every healthy body they can get.
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