Rams crossing fingers that Rob Havenstein will be available Sunday night

Second year OT Warren McClendon would start in place of Havenstein if the veteran cannot play

The final injury reports have been issued by the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions ahead of their showdown on Sunday Night Football. The Lions are 4.5 point favorites in this rematch of last year’s wildcard playoff game according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

One player that could swing the outcome of Sunday’s contest is LA’s right tackle Rob Havenstein. Havenstein suffered an ankle injury early in training camp and didn’t start practicing until this week where he was limited on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The veteran tackle is officially listed as “questionable”, which according to NFL reporting rules suggest he has a 50/50 chance of playing in the game.

Detroit’s pass rushers likely smell blood in the water if Havenstein is limited or flat out unable to play. Aidan Hutchinson has been the engine of the Lions’ defense since joining the team in 2021. The team also signed Marcus Davenport this offseason as a low risk, high upside bet on a player with strong pedigree but a troubling injury history. Hutchinson ranked second amongst EDGE rushers in total pressures in the 2023 regular season with 101 according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), which proves the Rams’ offensive line has their work cut out for them. Only Micah Parson with the Dallas Cowboys bested Hutchinson with 103 total pressures. They were the only EDGE rushers that broke triple digits last year in the regular season.

If Havenstein is unable to suit up on Sunday night, second-year offensive tackle Warren McClendon will be the next man up for Los Angeles. The Rams selected McClendon in the fifth round of last year’s NFL Draft. He kept this year’s first round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, Amarius Mims, on the bench over the 2022 season while both were at Georgia.

We’ve saw McClendon appear in some limited regular season action as a rookie. He played six snaps in Week 5 last year against the Philadelphia Eagles and earned a PFF pass blocking grade of 14.2. His second outing was much more positive and came in Week 18 when both the Rams and San Francisco 49ers had already clinched playoff berths and were resting starters. While it’s worth mentioning that he was playing against backups, McClendon did earn a 78.9 pass blocking grade in that game over 26 snaps and 11 pass protection reps. In this year’s preseason, McClendon was on the field for 78 snaps across LA’s first two exhibition games and was credited with a pass blocking grade of 78.1. His run grade was lower, but still adequate, at 64.6.

Rob Havenstein is one of the most important players on the injury report this week for the Rams as the team prepares to take on the Lions. While it’s unclear whether Havenstein will suit up on Sunday night, the Rams have a promising but unproven backup that will be ready to step in if needed in Warren McClendon.

This injury could swing the outcome of Sunday’s game and is worth keeping an eye on leading up to kickoff.