LA Officially Announces Inactive Players for 49ers Showdown

The Los Angeles Rams have entered the 2024-25 NFL season more decimated by injuries than any other franchise in the league. Los Angeles recently released its list of inactive players ahead of its Sunday night game against its NFC West rival, the San Francisco 49ers.

Before the unprecedented injury toll, the Week 3 matchup between the Rams and 49ers was supposed to be must-see TV because it was supposed to be a game featuring some of the NFL’s biggest stars. Both California teams lost their top players to injuries, but the Rams have had to deal with what feels like a snowball that has turned into an avalanche, as every week it seems like a new LA starter goes on injured reserve.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will have to spring a surprise against the 49ers without his two star receivers. Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp won’t be active for the Rams until potentially midseason as they both have leg injuries.

Stafford and head coach Sean McVay will have to adjust to their new situation as they still have postseason ambitions this year. As he prepares for a matchup against a fierce NFC rival, Stafford has had to do a good job of getting his backup receivers on the same page as they will be tasked with keeping this offense afloat.

In an interview with reporters this week, Stafford spoke about the communication he had with his receivers during the week of practice.

“I’m just trying to be as clear and concise as possible,” Stafford said. “The way some of these guys might run routes might be different than the way Puka and Cooper run them … It’s a body language thing. I don’t want to say they run completely different routes, it’s more like the way they might separate is going to be different.”

Coach McVay isn’t making excuses for his football team after members of the media wondered if this season would bear an eerie resemblance to the 2022 season that derailed the Rams after a number of their key players struggled with injuries.

“It’s similar to some of the challenges we faced in the 2022 season, but I think we’re better equipped to deal with them by focusing on the things we can control,” McVay said. “Let’s grow, let’s really focus on how we move forward rather than what we can’t do.”