The Rams hope to have linebacker Clay Matthews back in the lineup for their Nov. 10 game against the Steelers, coach Sean McVay said Monday.
Matthews fractured his jaw in Thursday night’s loss to the Seahawks.
“He’s got his jaw wired shut,” McVay said. “I think he’s feeling good. That’s not an ideal situation. It was kind of a freak accident. He’ll be out for at least the next four to six weeks. It’s going to be something where you just kind of monitor that diet. Really, it’s going to be a challenge any time that you have that. He’ll do all the right things to put himself in a position to hopefully get back as soon as we’re able to take that thing off and then he’s able to fully function.
“I think, realistically, probably coming back after the bye is probably what’s the most likely realistic scenario for us.”
The Rams’ bye comes in Week Nine.
Seahawks running back Chris Carson inadvertently kicked Matthews in the face on a 6-yard run on third-and-goal from the 11-yard line in the fourth quarter when Matthews dove at Carson’s legs.
The Rams will fill in with Samson Ebukam, who has played 51.9 percent of the defensive snaps this season.
“Samson will be asked to step up,” McVay said. “He’s played a lot of important snaps for us. He’s a guy that we have a lot of confidence in. Really, we’ll have a chance to really get a chance to evaluate some of these younger players that might get a chance to play as well. Natrez Patrick, ‘Obo’ [Obgonnia Okoronkwo] will get a chance to step up. As we put together the game plan, I think we’ll get a little bit better feel, but Samson’s a guy that’s played a lot of valuable snaps for us, and he’ll immediately step into that starter’s role.”