Rams coach Sean McVay said earlier this week that injuries to wide receiver Davante Adams and running back Kyren Williams should not affect their game status for Week 14.
Adams’ hamstring soreness, though, kept him out of Wednesday’s practice.
He played 39 snaps and made four catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
Williams’ ankle injury limited him in the first practice of the week.
He left the loss to the Panthers, playing 35 of 52 snaps and running for 72 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
The Rams also had cornerback Darious Williams (tibia) and nose tackle Poona Ford (calf) as non-participants.
Safety Kamren Kinchens (shoulder), inside linebacker Omar Speights (ankle) and outside linebacker Byron Young (knee) were limited.
Wide receiver Tutu Atwell (hamstring) fully participated.
Before Week 13, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was the betting favorite for MVP. After Week 13, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has reclaimed that status.
Regardless of where the odds go as to the two of them, it has become for now a two-man race.
Maye currently has -135 odds to win the MVP award. Stafford, previously the only player in negative territory, is +135.
The next player on the list is Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, at +1500. (Packers quarterback Jordan Love is next, at +1900.)
The odds can change. The odds will change. Ultimately, it comes down to the ballots cast by the 50 Associated Press voters, only days after the conclusion of the 2025 regular season.
If the Patriots end up with the No. 1 seed in the AFC, Maye’s case gets much stronger. If the Rams also end up with the No. 1 seed in the NFC, things get complicated.
Stafford’s case could be influenced by the fact that he’s been playing since 2009, and that he’s never been a serious contender for the MVP award. That shouldn’t matter, but any process determined by voting choices made by a collection of human beings can be swayed by other factors.
Maye will have many more years to be the MVP, one or more times. Stafford is far closer to the end of the road. If not now, he may never win it.
Again, that shouldn’t matter. It’s impossible to know with any certainty whether it will. Even after the AP posts the full ballots from all voters, after the awards are announced.
Rams running back Kyren Williams and wide receiver Davante Adams came out of Sunday’s game with no concerning injuries, coach Sean McVay said Monday.
“Nothing that we expect to restrict guys from being available this week,” McVay said, via Adam Schefter of ESPN. “We might limit some guys in practice once we see how they come in [Tuesday], but nothing that we expect to affect game statuses for Arizona.”
Williams left the loss to the Panthers with an ankle issue. He played 35 of 52 snaps and had 13 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown.
McVay said Williams’ ankle was “pretty good,” as the scar tissue from previous injuries made it easier to deal with in-game.
Adams had hamstring soreness but played 39 snaps and made four catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has missed the last four games while on injured reserve, which means he is now eligible to return to practice and be activated to play in games.
That’s not going to happen this week, however. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said at his Monday press conference that Murray is “not quite there yet” in his recovery from a foot injury.
When Murray was injured, there was a lot of speculation that he might not return to the lineup again this season even if he’s healthy and that the two sides are on track to part ways when the season is over. During an appearance on Arizona Sports Monday, Gannon said that he has no objection to playing Murray if the quarterback is well enough to play.
“Between myself and [General Manager Monti Ossenfort], we are all about trying to win a game here,” Gannon said. “We’re going to make every decision predicated on that and what’s best for the team.”
Jacoby Brissett has been the Cardinals’ starter in Murray’s absence and he will remain in that role against the Rams in Week 14.
The Rams saw their six-game winning streak come to an end against the Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday and it was not a result that many saw coming.
With six straight wins under their belt, the Rams were heavy favorites in Charlotte but the Panthers forced three turnovers by quarterback Matthew Stafford and made a number of big plays on offense to pull off the 31-28 upset win. Linebacker Byron Young called the loss “humbling” after the game and said that “don’t get complacent” is the lesson that the team should learn from how things played out.
“I just feel like this a wake-up call,” Young said. “You know, something that you just got to learn from. I definitely think it’s something that we needed. I don’t look at as a bad thing. I just look at it that it is motivation. It is something I’m glad that it happened. We need this.”
We’ll learn how the Rams respond soon enough, but their playoff destiny is no longer totally in their hands. The Bears are now in pole position in the NFC and the Rams will need them to get tripped up in order to get another shot at securing a bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
