Coaches for teams in the wild card round won’t be available for head coaching interviews until next week and one of the assistants who is seen as likely to see some interest is Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
Shula is in his second year as a coordinator and he’s been with the Rams since 2017. Being a Sean McVay assistant is generally a good path to a head coaching job and Shula adds to that by being McVay’s college roommate as well as the grandson of the legendary Don Shula.
On Wednesday, Shula said he took time during the summer and the team’s bye week to prepare for potential head coaching interviews. That’s allowed him to be “locked in on that routine” ahead of this week’s game against the Panthers while waiting to see “if the right situation presents itself” in this cycle.
“I think that’s the goal of any coach that wants to be in this league,” Shula said, via Greg Beachum of the Associated Press. “That doesn’t mean you’re just going to walk away for any opportunity. I love it here, and my family loves it here. We’ve been here nine, 10 years, coaching with my best friend. We obviously have a great group of players and a great staff. So for the right opportunity, we’ll see.”
The Rams defense was part of the reason for the 3-3 finish that ended their hopes of taking the top seed in the NFC, but a rebound in Carolina would put them right where they want to be and it wouldn’t do anything to hurt Shula’s chances of making the next step up the coaching ladder.
Rams Clips
The Panthers had one player miss Wednesday’s practice. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown, though, isn’t injured. He had a rest day.
Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton was a full participant a second consecutive day. Wharton has missed the past four games with a hamstring injury but appears on track to return for the postseason.
Wharton started all nine games he played this season and had 36 tackles and two sacks in those appearances.
The other five players on the report also were full participants as the Panthers appear to be at full health heading into Saturday’s game against the Rams.
Defensive tackle Bobby Brown III (concussion), cornerback Robert Rochell (concussion), linebacker Claudin Cherelus (calf/ankle), guard Robert Hunt (biceps) and guard Chandler Zavala (calf) fully participated again.
The Rams’ injury report showed only one change from Tuesday. Cornerback Darious Williams did not practice for personal reasons.
Wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) remained a full participant, which bodes well for his availability for Saturday’s game against the Panthers. His practice on Tuesday was the first time he has fully participated since aggravating his hamstring in Week 15. He got limited work last week but missed a third consecutive game.
Adams has 60 receptions for 789 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.
`The Rams listed offensive lineman Kevin Dotson (ankle), wide receiver Jordan Whittington (knee), tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) and cornerback Josh Wallace (ankle) as non-participants again.
Defensive end Braden Fiske (ankle) and tight end Tyler Higbee (ankle) remained limited.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford closed out the regular season with a big game.
Stafford went 25-of-40 for 259 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 37-20 win over the Cardinals in Week 18. The win secured the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs for the Rams and made a good final argument for Stafford’s MVP case.
It will be a little while before we know if Stafford takes that prize, but we do know that he has been named the NFC offensive player of the week. It’s the fifth time that Stafford has taken that award and the first time since the 2021 season.
Stafford finished the year 388-of-597 for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He led the league in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford had thrown only two interceptions all season heading into Week 13 against the Panthers. But in that game Stafford threw two interceptions and also lost a fumble, and he says he’s the reason the Rams lost, 31-28.
As he prepares to face the Panthers in the playoffs on Saturday, Stafford says it’s on him to avoid turning the ball over.
“I’d like not to throw it to their team, I think that was the story of the game,” Stafford said. “We moved the ball well in some areas, scored a couple in the red zone, did some nice things, ran it well and just had the turnovers.”
Stafford said no one should put too much importance on that regular-season game, noting that both teams will have some different players on the field in key areas.
“We’re a little bit of a different team now than we were back then, they’re healthier now than when we played them, so there’s some things that are different from what happened when we played them,” Stafford said.
The most notable Panther who is healthier now is cornerback Jaycee Horn, who missed the game against the Rams with a concussion but played every other game during the regular season and is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Stafford said the Panthers’ defense will be better with Horn on the field.
“It’s adding an All-Pro type player. I think both of their corners are as good as you see in the league,” Stafford said. “As far as back ends go, it’s about as good as we’ve seen all year, and it’ll be a good challenge for us.”
The challenge for Stafford will be keeping the ball out of the Panthers’ hands, and avoiding a second big upset in Carolina.
Rams wide receiver Davante Adams is headed toward a return this weekend.
Adams was a full participant in practice for the first time since aggravating his hamstring in Week 15. He got limited work last week but missed a third consecutive game.
He has 60 receptions for 789 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.
Safety Quentin Lake (elbow) also was a full participant.
Lake missed the team’s final seven games after injuring an elbow against the Seahawks in Week 11.
The Rams did not practice on Tuesday but listed four players as non-participants.
They estimated offensive lineman Kevin Dotson (ankle), wide receiver Jordan Whittington (knee), tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) and cornerback Josh Wallace (ankle) as out of practice.
Defensive end Braden Fiske (ankle) and tight end Tyler Higbee (ankle) were limited.
The Rams officially have one of their key defenders back on the roster.
Los Angeles has activated safety Quentin Lake off of injured reserve, the team announced on Tuesday.
Lake has been sidelined since suffering an elbow injury in the club’s Nov. 16 win over Seattle. Lake did not play in the Week 13 loss to Carolina.
In his fourth pro season, Lake registered 61 total tackles with 10 passes defensed, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a sack, and an interception in 10 regular-season games.
As a corresponding move, the Rams have placed linebacker Shaun Dolan on injured reserve.
Additionally, L.A. released safety Nate Valcarcel off of the practice squad and signed linebacker Ben Niemann to the practice squad.
Panthers defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton missed the final four games of the regular season with a hamstring injury, but Tuesday’s injury report brought good news about his chances of playing against the Rams this weekend.
Wharton was listed as a full participant in the team’s first on-field work of the week. Wharton started all nine games he played this season and had 36 tackles and two sacks in those appearances.
Defensive lineman Bobby Brown (concussion) was a limited participant after being injured in Week 18. Cornerback Robert Rochell (concussion) was also listed as limited.
Linebacker Claudin Cherelus (calf, ankle) joined Wharton as a full participant. Guards Robert Hunt (biceps) and Chandler Zavala (calf) were also full participants as they work their way back from injured reserve.
The Panthers designated Robert Hunt for return from injured reserve last month and they have another guard who could potentially return to the lineup in the postseason.
The team announced that they have designated Chandler Zavala for return on Tuesday. Zavala went on the list on November 29 due to a calf injury,
Zavala also missed time on injured reserve with a knee injury earlier in the season. He returned to start three games before suffering the calf injury.
Damien Lewis and Austin Corbett started at guard for the Panthers in Week 18.
The Panthers currently have an open roster spot for either Hunt or Zavala, but would need to make another move to create space for both players ahead of Saturday’s game against the Rams.
The Panthers are 10.5-point underdogs against the Rams in Saturday’s playoff opener, and Carolina coach Dave Canales says that’s not on his mind.
Asked if he takes it as disrespect that his team is the weekend’s biggest underdog despite beating the Rams in the regular season, Canales said it doesn’t bother him.
“I don’t know how they come up with those numbers, but I’m sure they have algorithms,” Canales said. “We can’t worry about that. We’ve just got to worry about playing our best football.”
The Panthers are 8-9 and entering the playoffs off a loss in the regular-season finale, but Canales said he’s emphasizing to his team that it’s a whole new season.
“Every game is a championship opportunity,” Canales said. “Here it is, right in front of us.”
