The Los Angeles Rams left their Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers with a handful of bumps and bruises, but head coach Sean McVay struck an optimistic tone Monday when addressing the status of three key players.
McVay called the updates on safety Kam Curl, inside linebacker Nate Landman
and tight end Davis Allen "positive,"suggesting the Rams could get some of their key contributors back sooner rather than later.Curl exited Thursday's game in the second half with an ankle injury. While he was officially listed as questionable to return, McVay said the veteran safety "is good," downplaying the injury as ankle soreness. Curl has quickly become one of the most important pieces of the Rams defense, starting all 17 games last season while playing 99%
of the defensive snaps. He signed a $36 million contract extension this offseason. Jaylen McCollough replaced Curl after going down, who had two tackles before exiting.
Landman's injury came in garbage time, with the Rams trailing by 20 points late in the fourth quarter. The defensive captain appeared to hurt his shoulder and thumb on a play involving Christian McCaffrey, and was seen walking off the field holding his arm. McVay confirmed Landman "got his shoulder and his thumb" in the collision. The team plans to be cautious with him in practice this week, but McVay expects him to be ready to go for Monday Night Football against the New York Giants on Sept. 21.
Allen's situation looked the most concerning in the moment. The tight end went down hard in the third quarter and was evaluated for a concussion, briefly showing a fencing response before being helped to the medical tent and carted to the locker room. He was officially listed as questionable to return. Despite the scary nature of the hit, Allen did return to the game, a sign that his evaluation cleared him to keep playing.
With the Rams looking to bounce back from a 27-7 season-opening loss, positive news on all three fronts is a welcome development as they turn their attention to the Giants.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay offers positive updates on 3 Rams injuries
