Rams pass rusher Jared Verse says that even if he doesn’t sack Caleb Williams on Sunday, he needs to get enough contact with him to disrupt his throws.
Verse said that simply grabbing Williams’ jersey or diving for his legs isn’t going to be enough, because Williams is too good at throwing under pressure. What Verse and his teammates want to do is make contact with Williams’ arm to prevent him from getting an accurate throw off.
“You’ve got to keep rushing, you’ve got to keep running, and once you get your hands around him, you can’t fully grab him, aim for his arm,” Verse said. “You have to aim for his arm, try to mess his throw up a little bit. It can’t just be like getting him off the spot. Running quarterbacks, even if they’re off the spot, they’re still liable to make any type of play.”
Verse said the Rams won’t be afraid of Williams using his mobility to step up and run past the pass rush.
“We don’t rush scared. We rush very alive,” Verse said. “I have the liberty to make a good play.”
And Verse wants to make sure Williams is not free to make good plays, with his arm or with his legs.
Samson Nacua ended up having a compelling defense to accusations that he stole a car belonging to Lakers forward Adou Thiero last month.
Samson Nacua thought it was his brother’s car.
His brother, Puka Nacua, is a first-team All-Pro receiver with the Rams.
"[Samson Nacua] believed the vehicle was his brother’s since his brother has the exact same model vehicle (only a year or two older) and the same color,” the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department told TMZ.com on Thursday. “The case was submitted for reject. The victim does not wish to prosecute as well.”
Samson Nacua and Trey Rose were arrested in December after Thiero’s car was tracked to a hotel parking lot in L.A. Nacua and Rose had valeted the car and were inside the hotel.
Samson Nacua recently was drafted by the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL in the spring league’s latest effort to allocate players for the upcoming season. Undrafted in 2022, Samson Nacua has spent time on the preseason rosters of the Colts and Saints. He played for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL in 2023, and the Michigan Panthers of the UFL for the past two years. In 2025, he was suspended for one game after an altercation with a fan.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford remains on track to play against the Bears on Sunday, but there’s some uncertainty about his backup.
Stafford was a full participant in practice for the second straight day on Thursday and he’s said multiple times this week that his right finger injury won’t interfere with his availability this weekend.
Jimmy Garoppolo was added to the injury report on Thursday because of a back injury. Garoppolo did not participate in practice and his absence on Sunday would leave Stetson Bennett as the backup to Stafford.
Right guard Kevin Dotson (ankle) was the team’s only limited participant. Cornerback Darious Williams (personal), defensive tackle Poona Ford (elbow), wide receiver Xavier Smith (wrist), cornerback Josh Wallace (ankle), tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring), safety Quentin Lake (foot), and wide receiver Jordan Whittington (knee) were all full participants.
The Seahawks have 14 players on their practice report. Only two have injury designations for Saturday’s game against the 49ers.
One name is a big one, though, with quarterback Sam Darnold popping up on the report as questionable to play after a limited practice with an oblique injury. Darnold said he expects to play.
He will have left tackle Charles Cross protecting his blindside.
Cross, who missed the past three games with a hamstring injury, was a full participant on Thursday and has no injury designation for the divisional round game.
Cross was a full participant on Tuesday before the team downgraded him to limited on Wednesday with, not only a hamstring injury, but with a knee injury.
Cross’ backup, Josh Jones, was ruled out of Saturday’s game with a knee injury.
Linebacker Ernest Jones (illness) returned to limited work on Thursday and will play. Cornerback Riq Woolen (oblique) had his first full practice of the week and also has no game status.
Bears wide receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze remained limited participants at Bears practice on Thursday.
Moore is dealing with a knee injury while Odunze continues to work through the foot injury that sidelined him for the final weeks of the regular season. Odunze returned last Saturday and had two catches for 44 yards, including a 27-yarder on a remarkable fourth down throw by quarterback Caleb Williams in the fourth quarter. Moore had six catches for 64 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.
Cornerback Nick McCloud (groin) was the only player out of practice for the second straight day.
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (back) moved from limited to full participation. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (concussion), tackle Braxton Jones (knee), linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (concussion), and defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (concussion) remained full participants.
