The Los Angeles Rams will be without left tackle Andrew Whitworth and safety Taylor Rapp on Sunday when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.
Whitworth injured his ankle on the Rams’ first offensive play during Monday’s 34-11 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Rapp will miss his second straight game after suffering a concussion in the final game of the regular season against the San Francisco 49ers.
“Both players will be out. They’ll be out for the game,” coach Sean McVay said Friday.
Whitworth started 15 regular-season games, becoming the first 40-year-old to play left tackle in NFL history. He went on a total of 30 snaps against Arizona before being replaced by Joe Noteboom in the second half.
Noteboom, who is in his fourth season from TCU, started two games this year. He played left tackle against Houston in Week 8 because Whitworth was unable to participate with a knee injury, and Noteboom played right tackle in Week 14, a visit to Arizona.
Rapp, who had four interceptions and 94 tackles in starting 17 regular-season games, will likely play again for the Rams if they advance to the NFC Finals, McVay said.
They were unable to play against Arizona Rapp and Jordan Fuller, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury against San Francisco. Under these conditions, the Rams started Nick Scott and Terrell Burgess as safeties.
Eric Weddle also had a significant involvement after coming out of retirement last week.
“I think the variances in our secondary faced a challenge, but these guys showed why they’ve done a good job. They were ready when their services were called for and this week will be no different with Taylor’s further absence,” McVay said.
If the Rams are able to extend their season, they could have more signings besides Rapp. Running back Darrell Henderson Jr., defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day and rookie cornerback Robert Rochell returned from the disabled list Friday. However, McVay doesn’t expect either of them to play this week.
Henderson sprained his MCL against Minnesota in Week 16. He led the Rams with five rushing touchdowns and was second on the team with 688 rushing yards.
Joseph-Day, a defensive line backup who had three sacks, had surgery in November to repair a partially torn pectoral muscle.