The Los Angeles Rams received some good news ahead of the teams Week 13 game against the Carolina Panthers with the return of a cornerback who was on the injured reserve.
The Rams activated Ahkello Witherspoon from the IR after he suffered a broken collarbone in the second game of the season, forcing him to miss the last 10 weeks.
With Witherspoon now on the 53-man roster, it gave the team an immediate boost in the secondary as the CB is one of the most experienced members of the Rams secondary and defense, as Los Angeles had to place another cornerback, Roger McCreary, on IR.
But the Week 13 game went the opposite for the Rams defense, in which Los Angeles lost a game they were favored to win, 28-31, which is the second most points they allowed in a game this season.
Panthers’ Bryce Young threw for over 200 yards and three touchdown passes on the day, while the rushing game ran for 164 yards. The Rams were able to pick off Young twice, but is wasn’t enough to help propel the team into a victory.
Witherspoon didn’t see much action in his return to the game day squad, with head coach Sean McVay giving an update on the future of the corners playing time for the remainder of the season.
Sean McVay On Witherspoons Return
GettyLos Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon
In his return to game day against the Panthers, Ahekllo Witherspoon only played in 15 defensive snaps for the Rams. This isn’t out of the norm for a player who suffered a serious injury, as it allows the defender to get back into the swing of things while not putting themselves in harms way in their first game back.
“He didn’t play a whole lot of snaps. He didn’t see a whole lot of action… It was good to get him back out there,” McVay said after the loss to Carolina. “He did what he was capable of and just wasn’t kind of at the point of attack in a lot of different situations.”
The Rams let up an touchdown in the first on a screen pass in which Witherspoon had an opportunity to tackle the touchdown scorer, Chuba Hubbard, but was unable to evade his blocker. McVay mentions this is something the Rams have to work on as a collective and not just a one person issues.
It is the cornerbacks third game of the season and still has a long way to go before being 100% and playing at his full capacity. With the playoffs just over a month away, the Rams will need Witherspoon to help a questionable secondary.
Cornerback Rotation
GettyLos Angeles Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes
As mentioned, the Rams defense let up over 200 yards in the loss to the Panthers in Week 13. The team doesn’t have a set number one cornerback to be the number one to guard the opponents primary receiver.
McVay was asked about the rotation in the cornerback group and how he expects the D to move forward following the loss to Carolina, giving a straight forward answer on the teams’ game plan.
“I thought those guys did a good job,” McVay said. “This [upcoming] week, well see if there’s any different approach, but it’s always gonna be geared towards what’s best for that particular matchup and our players.”
There is only five weeks left in the 2025 NFL season and the Rams would need to win out the last of their games if they want to get the first round bye in the playoffs.
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