Wide receiver Davante Adams will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Lions, but the team really considers him probable.
Adams is dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters on Friday that Adams is set to be a limited participant in Friday’s practice and that he is expected to play on Sunday despite the questionable tag.
Adams has 56 catches for 718 yards and a league-high 14 touchdown catches this season.
McVay also said that the team plans to activate wide receiver Tutu Atwell from injured reserve. Atwell has been on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury.
The Lions hoped to get safety Kerby Joseph back from a knee injury for this Sunday’s game against the Rams, but that is looking unlikely on Friday.
Head coach Dan Campbell told reporters at his press conference that Joseph had a setback during practice this week and he doesn’t feel “as good” about his chances of playing as a result. Campbell also said that Joseph could be a candidate for injured reserve and, with four games left in the season, that would make the postseason the only potential return date.
Joseph has not played since Week 6 and this week’s development comes after the Lions lost Brian Branch for the rest of the season to a torn Achilles.
Avonte Maddox, Daniel Thomas, Thomas Harper, and Jalen Mills are the other safety options on the 53-man roster in Detroit.
The locker rooms at SoFi Stadium may get a whole lot of use in 2028.
The home of the Rams and Chargers already may have a third tenant for 2026, with UCLA looking to move its home football games from the iconic Rose Bowl to the venue as soon as 2026.
Now, Ryan Kartje of the L.A. Times reports USC is likely to temporarily join the party for one year.
With track-and-field events at the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games slated to take place at the L.A. Coliseum, that stadium is not going to be ready to host the Trojans for at least the start of the 2028 season. As it stands now, the most likely option for USC is to play its home slate at SoFi Stadium.
If it happens, that could put all four major football programs in Los Angeles under one roof that fall, which could, in turn, cause some logistical challenges.
The Coliseum would be unavailable for at least the early portion of the 2028 football season because the venue will have a $100 million temporary track installed for the Olympics. That requires the Coliseum’s field and dirt under it to be stripped down to the stadium’s concrete base, where columns to hold up the track will be placed about every 10 feet. Restoring the field will take longer than the two weeks between the end of the 2028 Paralympic Games and the start of USC’s schedule.
While Kartje notes USC has not made a final decision on where its 2028 schedule will be played, the only other venue in the area would be the Rose Bowl. And even if the Coliseum could be ready for later in the fall, the USC athletic department may not feel like splitting the season between stadiums — or spending a long portion of the season away from Los Angeles — would be in its best interest.
This would not be the first time the Rams, Trojans, and Bruins would share a venue, as the three teams played at the L.A. Coliseum together from 1946-1979. The Rams and Trojans recently shared the Coliseum again from 2016-2019 while SoFi Stadium was being built.
The unpleasant divorce between the Rams and quarterback Jared Goff has been well documented.
But time heals all wounds, as illustrated by Goff telling reporters in Detroit this week that getting traded from the Rams to the Lions “feels like a long time ago,” adding he doesn’t have particular special emotions playing his former team any longer.
Los Angeles’ Sean McVay was asked in his Wednesday press conference what he’s seeing from Goff this season and the head coach was effusive in his praise.
“I see outstanding maturity. I see outstanding growth and ownership,” McVay said, via transcript from the team. “You can see they give him a lot of things at the line of scrimmage like mike-point IDs, calling multiple plays, and getting in and out of the right looks whether that be in the run game or in the pass game, unbelievable accuracy and anticipation. Jared’s played really great.”
But beyond that, McVay noted that he’s been happy to see what Goff has been able to build in Detroit, putting the team on his back.
“I’ve been very open and very clear about [how] I had a lot of growing up to do back when that thing went down,” McVay said. “There were a lot of great memories and a lot of really good ball that he did here that I’ll always cherish.
“I’m truly happy for him. He’s married and has a beautiful little girl now. It’s awesome to see. I think I’m reminded of those things and then you’re also reminded of when you need to be able to grow up and handle things a little bit better. I’ll never run away from that. What I’m grateful for and appreciative of is that he’s got such grace towards me and understanding. I’m happy for Jared.”
Goff’s time with the Lions has now been longer than the time he spent with McVay, as he’s now in his fifth season with Detroit and had four with Los Angeles’ current head coach (plus his rookie year under Jeff Fisher).
In 13 games this season, Goff has completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 3,334 yards with 26 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff will see his former team on Sunday when he plays against the Rams, but he says at this point it’s old news.
“It feels like a long time ago,” Goff said when asked about being traded from the Rams to the Lions five years ago. “My career now has spent more time here.”
Asked if he feels any special emotions about playing the team that drafted him first overall but then traded him to the Lions for Matthew Stafford and two first-round picks, Goff answered, “No, not so much anymore.”
Goff said the Lions’ playoff win over the Rams after the 2023 season was the last time it really felt meaningful to play against his former team.
“We played them in that playoff game it was such a big deal, the next year it felt like even less, now it’s even further removed,” Goff said.
When reporters started asking him more questions about the Rams, Goff seemed surprised that they were making it a story.
“We’re still talking about it?” Goff asked.
Goff understands that with the Lions fighting for a playoff berth and the Rams currently atop the NFC, it’s a big game on Sunday. Just not any bigger than any other game with playoff implications.
“I’ve got so much respect for those guys, how well they’re playing, how well they’re coached,” Goff said. “We’ve got our hands full, and gotta find a way to win.”
