The Rams catch a MAJOR Break...

The Rams catch a major break. We have some key updates on the injuries the starting cornerback duo suffered in Sunday's win over the Chargers. What this means for the Rams heading into week nine. All that and more on today's episode of Rams Digest. Welcome back to another episode of Rams Digest. I'm your host, Joshua Feiner. Before we get into today's video, make sure to leave a like on this right now for the Rams to get a three-game winning streak going this Sunday. Against the Commanders, Josh and I will be back live this Sunday, 10 a.m. Pacific Time, 1 p.m. Eastern Time for this game against the Commanders, so make sure to stay tuned for that. But before we get any further in today's video, I want to know, how concerned are you about these injuries? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments. The Rams just can't seem to catch a break so far this year when it comes to these injuries and the amount of players that have I've been on the injury list heading into games. And stay tuned to the end of today's video because I will be responding to this question. Predicting things that can be difficult, especially in sports, but today's video sponsor Kalshi makes that a little bit easier. And on Kalshi, you're trading directly against other users and not the house, unlike traditional sports books. And on Kalshi, you're buying yes or no contracts on the outcomes of events across sports, politics, news, weather, even some of your favorite TV shows. And now I have some trades to go over on Kalshi with you right now. Starting off with the Rams game against the Commanders, I do believe the Rams will come out on top with a win, so I would put $25 on this trade, and if my trade were to hit, I would receive a payout of $35.46, and then you can see here, here are Kalshi's game odds, the Rams, heavy favorite, 69% to the Commanders, 31%. And then for some player events as well in this game, for Kyren Williams to find the end zone at least one time. Remember, one plus means one or more touchdowns. He only needs to find the end zone one time for... This trade to hit, I believe he will. The Rams are going to keep leaning on the run game. $25 on this trade. If my trade were to hit, I would receive a payout of $41.87. Now, a lot of you are probably asking me, Josh, what's up with $25? Why is that the amount that you're putting down? Well, I'll tell you right now. If you are interested in trying out Calshi for yourself, make sure to use the link down below in the description, the pin comment, and code digest NFL. To receive $55 into your account once you trade your first $25 on Calshi, thank you very much once again to Calshi for sponsoring today's video, and now, let's get into today's news. Well, as I've said, for the Rams, we have some key injury updates to get into about the star cornerback duo, starting off with Jalen Watson. He re-aggravates his shoulder injury in Sunday's win during the third quarter. Meaning that he had to be pulled out of the remainder of the game. And in his recent form that Jalen Watson has been on, he's been great. If we look at these again. Four pass deflections against the Vegas Raiders, again, versus the Chargers. Wasn't as active because he didn't play the whole game, but he was great, even though in the loss to the Arizona Cardinals. We've seen how much Jalen Watson has meant to this team, being that physical presence in that defensive backfield, something the Rams were severely lacking throughout all of the 2025 season. And then to get into this a little bit more from Nate Atkins of the Rams, cornerback Jalen Watson's out with a shoulder injury. That is how he was removed from the game. And then going a little more into this injury, coach Sean McVay pretty much said he aggravated his shoulder, which means what I'm getting out of this is that It's basically the same injury. It's not a dislocation from what we saw that that was aggravated. It must be something within the shoulder, but I don't like the fact that this is the same injury. I don't like any injury for anybody, obviously, but the fact that this is the exact same. Area that he injured early in the season that caused him to miss multiple games? It's not great. I saw someone in the comments say that he might need surgery this offseason. I was kind of like, eh, nah, I don't see it. But if he keeps re-aggravating the shoulder as the season goes on, then maybe there is a chance of that. But as of right now, I certainly don't see that being in the immediate future for Jalen Watson. And from Adam Grospart, Rams cornerback Jalen Watson is day-to-day after aggravating his shoulder yesterday per Sean McVay. Trent McDuffie is also feeling better than expected after his back yesterday. We're going to get to him in a little bit. But this is overall a very good sign that he is day-to-day against the Commanders, even though the Commanders receiving core is not great. It's not great. Again, Terry McLaurin, unfortunately, done it for the season. And you still have Stephon Diggs there. But outside of that, it's basically it. You really only have Stephon Diggs. Rashad White can catch some passes, I guess. But overall, you're playing a very weak receiving core. So if Jalen Watson were to miss a game, this game I'd be actually kind of not okay with. But I'd be a lot less concerned because there's not really someone where, oh, we need Jalen Watson to stop this guy. It helps having him go against Stephon Diggs. But overall, I certainly think the Rams should play it cautious because it's the same injury. But the fact that he's already listed as day-to-day is very positive considering where we could have been and where we were a few weeks ago as well with the shoulder injury. And obviously, he exits the game. On Sunday and then yesterday, he's day-to-day, and today he is still day-to-day. We're going to really see tomorrow what the practice reports say, so stay tuned for that because we'll definitely be covering all that stuff. But now moving on to the big offseason trade acquisition. Someone who you can easily make a case has been the best corner in football this year so far. Trent McDuffie reports his back injury. Obviously, and Sean McVay did have some positive wording to say about Trent McDuffie as well. And Trent McDuffie himself said, my back is feeling okay. I'm definitely taking it a day at a time. An okay is listed in all caps for a reason here, that okay for a back injury just means you're not really in severe pain, which is a good sign. It's a good sign that it seems like he just tweaked something for now. Again, we're going to see as the week goes on how much he practices. He missed time earlier this season with a groin injury. So again, here, this injury is not as concerning as Jalen Watson's because it's not the same body part that got injured again. It's an entirely new injury, entirely new mechanism. of injury, the way he went in for a tackle, so I'm not as concerned here about Trent McDuffie again. We're gonna have to wait and see as the week goes on. I definitely need one of them out there. If you're the Rams, you can't afford to have both of them not out there. We saw how that went, it was not good. They need one of them out there, for sure, because you need someone there shadowing Stephon Diggs, because he can still have a crazy game against this defense. Sean McVay said he came in feeling better than maybe what we expected, and Trent McDuffie came in post-game feeling better than I think a lot of people expected him to, which is great to see. And then initially, here too, from Sarah Barshop, McVay said they didn't have an update post-game, but it looked like that he was feeling okay. Obviously, we do now know that he wasn't feeling okay, and that it seems like this injury is going to be pretty minor. And then Trent McDuffie on the year two picks, 25 tackles, but he's just been so good throughout this entire season in pass coverage. Again, he had that Weird flag in the Charger game that I thought was a hit-or-miss call there. But overall, Trent McDuffie has certainly, when he's been on the field, been worth that trade, been worth every penny so far for this Rams team. We've seen just how important it is to have a number one corner. We saw it the first time Stafford and this Rams team went on a deep playoff run in 2021 when Jalen Ramsey was still at his peak. And we saw how important he was throughout that playoff run. And Trent McDuffie is a guy who's already been On playoff runs with the Chiefs, so when it comes to playoff time, I know the Rams are still fighting to get in, but if they keep playing the way they are, only getting healthier, I certainly do see them getting in, that he's going to be a guy that's very important to have in those crunch time situations on the defensive side of the ball and in the locker room as well. He has been worth every penny of this trade. He has been just awesome for them. Then obviously, better than expected, the groin injury progress was limited after missing two games, and then he returns and then exits once again. So it was a brief return for him, but the fact that, again, this injury report is better than expected to me is a good sign for him heading into this week. Again, Thursday, Friday, we're going to know a lot more about their availability, so definitely stay tuned for that. But a very interesting update happened post-game for the Rams, and that Matthew Stafford has been managing arm soreness pretty much throughout the entire season. Now, what happened was post-game, Stafford was seen with an ice pack on his elbow, and then Coach Sean McVay had some words to say about it and explain why there was an ice pack there. Sean McVay has said he's had some soreness Basically, all McVay said, which... It's not really too surprising for me, considering some of the throws he's made and how short he's been on some deeper passes, that it doesn't really shock me, which is another reason why Rams should start running the ball more. I mean, when you're throwing the ball 50 times a game for, what was it, three straight games, he had 50 plus passing attempts at his age? I'm not surprised he developed arm soreness. I don't think any of you in the comments would be either. And look at that, when you start running the ball, you see less mistakes from him. I do think the Rams should rely on the run again once Devontae gets back, or maybe They make a trade for a wide receiver as well, but once you have some more playmakers, you could have to throw the ball a little more. Again, Stafford only throwing the ball about 25 times last game. I don't think is a recipe for success either once this team's fully healthy. I think you want to get those pass attempts up to about 35, but certainly when he was throwing 50 passes a game, I'm not surprised he developed a little bit of arm soreness. And then he has 15 passing touchdowns, which is great. In the red zone, he's still been good, but the eight interceptions have certainly been a problem. Again, as of late, it's gotten better because they've started running the ball more and obviously there really isn't anyone else besides Puka that's catching the ball. There was one interception that wasn't his fault at all that Colby Parkinson definitely should have caught, but the interception he threw early in the game was just not a good throw whatsoever. It was just not a great play. I wasn't even seeing the field there and I think the arm soreness can even be impacting that as well. Again, the post-game ice, and then Sean McVay has acknowledged the soreness. So we're going to wait and see how that looks. I do have him on a fantasy team, and ESPN Fantasy actually listed Stafford as questionable. So I don't know if that means he's officially questionable. Again, we're going to have to wait and see how much he practices. To me, he hasn't missed any time with it so far, but the fact that this is the first time we've seen him with an ice pack on his elbow, this one makes me a tad bit more concerned. And then we do have. This update as well from Cam De Silva. It's something to monitor. I'm sure Stafford will give an update on Wednesday. So yes, tomorrow, make sure to stay tuned for that. We'll give an update on that and we will just see how he is doing. And then what remains unanswered Stafford's own assessment is practice participation and any confirmed diagnosis or availability change. Yeah, all we know right now is that. It's arm soreness. That's all we know. That's not really an injury diagnosis. It's just, okay, he's got a sore arm. Again, when you throw 50-plus passes for three straight games at his age, I'm not surprised, but I really hope that's all that it is. Again, we're going to have to wait and see how much he practices. Again, in preseason, again, 2025, barely practiced at all, one MVP. So, I mean, if they hold him out of practice on Wednesday, I wouldn't be shocked. Just limit his reps in practice. I think he'll be a-okay, though. Knowing his track record in terms of playing through injuries. Concerning this one right now, it is minor. But they definitely should keep relying on the run to keep this a minor injury. Did you read? And then the Rams do face some secondary depth questions overall as a whole as well because of these injuries. And again, we saw it in the game where Jalen Watson went out against Denver and Josh Wallace was very hit or miss. Again, should have had a game-winning pick. He had the game-winning pick. The NFL said it, but they didn't want to give it to him on the field for whatever reason. But we've seen the ups and downs of Josh Wallace. Emmanuel Forbes has had some good moments. Obviously, Josh Wallace listed right now as the starter outside of Trent McDuffie. Again, Cam Curl, Quentin Lake, Cam Kitchens, Jalen McCullough, they have all been very, very good in the safety room. Cam Kitchens not doing as much. In terms of interceptions, as we've seen in the past, but I do think that'll change as this season goes on. But we have seen the secondary depth questions outside of these top two certainly play a role considering the amount of injuries they have had in that secondary so far. And if we look at Jalen Watson in seven games, he does have 24 tackles on the year. Again, tackles to me aren't everything, but he has been a good open field tackler and a good physical presence in the defensive backfield, which is something the Rams have desperately needed ever since the beginning of the 2025 season. They got it this offseason and it has paid dividends. And then secondary watch list as well. Watson's shoulder progression, McDuffie's back progression, Forbes and Wallace's list of depth options, final practice and game designations as well. Have to wait and see on all of those. But again, Emmanuel Forbes is at least a guy who knows the system. He had some highs last year, and I think in his CB3 role, he's fine. I actually have less questions about him than I do Josh Wallace. I've seen Josh Wallace have some very high highs and then some very low lows in terms of penalties as well. So if one of these guys can't go again against the Commanders, don't think it'll be too big of an issue because of the lack of wide receiver depth. But again, we have to wait and see about these players playing this upcoming week. And then, which concern matters most? A, secondary injury, reoccurrence, or B, Stafford's arm injury? Leave your thoughts in the comments on this down below as well. I will be responding as always. To me, the fact that Stafford hasn't missed any time with this and we're just now hearing about it makes me think it is a little bit minor. I think if Stafford were to come out Wednesday and say some worrying things about his arm, then I'd be like, okay, this is concerning. But for right now, I would go with A, the secondary. Mainly just because of the fact that it's the second time now that we're talking about both of these guys being hurt. These guys aren't injury prone players. Like again, the shoulder injury was just re-aggravated. Again, have to watch that. Obviously, again, with dislocated shoulders, it's bound to pop out a little more. You're bound to have a... A higher injury risk with those dislocated shoulders. I know some people who where this has happened to them. So again, not a medical expert. Just want to make that clear when I talk about an injury. But for Trent McDuffie, at least from what I've seen, not an injury prone. It's a totally separate injury from the first injury. So again, we have to wait and see. But the fact that it's happened twice now this season is a little bit concerning for both players. And now, obviously, to my question for the comments. How concerned are you about these injuries? Leave your thoughts in the comments down below. I'll be responding. As always, do a level of 1 to 10. For me, I'm at a four right now. I'm not super concerned because I don't think both of the starting corners are going to miss the game. Maybe Watson's held out for precautionary reasons because it's the same injury. But until Matthew Stafford gives me a worrying update or gives Rams fans a worrying update or McVay does, I'm not too concerned. We've seen Stafford play through injuries many times. And for right now, it seems like it's just arm soreness. And how can you fix arm soreness? You don't use your arm as much. You let it relax and you let the run game. Take over a little bit. We've been saying it and when it's been happening without the presence of a number two wide receiver for this Rams team, the offense has been way more functional. So I wouldn't be surprised if that's the approach there, but we'll have to wait and see on Wednesday. But for right now, I am going with the secondary injuries being more concerning in a four out of 10 concern level overall. And that is all for today's episode of Rams Digest. Remember, leave a like on today's video right now for the Rams to get a three-game win streak going against the Commanders this coming Sunday. And like for Josh and I to be back on stream this Sunday, November 8th, 10 a.m. Pacific time, 1 p.m. Eastern time. Be there. It's always a great time. Always a great time reading chats, talking football. Sometimes we're even talking movies, TV, video games. So make sure to get on in there. And enjoy yourself as always. And make sure to hit that subscribe button. We hit 6K at the end of last week. Thank you all so much for that. Really appreciate it. On the long road now to 7K. So hit that sub button. Click that notification bell as well. Click all so you get notified and never miss whenever we post our daily new Rams Digest video content pieces covering all things Rams. Make sure to leave your thoughts on today's video in the comments down below. I will be responding as always. And hey, you never know. You may find yourself in a Rams Digest video as well. With your comment being shown on screen and share this video with a friend because it helps out the channel a ton. I've been your host, Joshua Finders, as always. Thank you very much for watching another episode of Rams Digest. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll see you soon for another one and have a great rest of your day.