The Los Angeles Rams will be without one of their starting cornerbacks for the remainder of the postseason. After re-injuring his shoulder in the first quarter in the Wild Card game against the Carolina Panthers, the Rams have placed Ahkello Witherspoon back on injured reserve. Witherspoon attempted to come back into the game in the second quarter, but quickly exited and did not return.
It’s another blow to the Rams secondary, a spot where the defense is already short-handed. The Rams lost Witherspoon back in Week 2 to the Tennessee Titans, but he returned in Week 13. Witherspoon was inactive in Weeks 15 and 16, but returned to the lineup over the last three games.
Over those three games, Witherspoon allowed four catches on six targets, averaging 26.8 yards per reception which was the fourth-highest in the NFL. He also had a missed tackle rate of 33.3 percent. While Witherspoon hadn’t been playing well, he was at least an experienced player in the defense.
With Witherspoon out and Darious Williams inactive against the Panthers, the Rams had to resort to Rodger McCreary on the outside. The Rams will likely turn back to Williams moving forward after he has been a healthy scratch over the last month. At this point in the season, it’s hard to see the Rams bringing anybody in from outside the building.
Witherspoon going on injured reserve certainly isn’t the news that the Rams wanted to hear on this Monday after Wild Card Weekend. The secondary has been a weak-point of the defense for teams to attack. They will now have to rely on players even further down the depth chart. The Rams will be going up against a top-10 passing attack in the divisional round when they take on the Chicago Bears. It will be even more important now for the pass rush to get to the quarterback and help the secondary.
