The Los Angeles Rams were able to overcome the absence of right tackle Rob Havenstein with their victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 11.
Havenstein had picked up a knee injury during the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10 and was effectively ruled out for the primetime showdown with the Chicago Bears. His absence served as just the latest in a number of devastating blows that have been dealt to the offensive line throughout the course of the 2019 NFL season.
The Rams had initially predicted that Havestein could potentially miss up to two games with the injury. It appears that very well may be the case.
Head coach Sean McVay says Havenstein is currently listed as doubtful for this week’s Monday night matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
RT Rob Havenstein (knee), however, is “probably going to be doubtful for this week,” McVay said.
McVay added that the team still has yet to set a definitive timeline on his return:
“(Havenstein) is making good progress, (but) to have a finite answer on exactly when he’ll play a week from today is difficult,” McVay said.
The prospect of Havenstein having to miss significant time would undoubtedly raise further concern regarding the state of the offensive line heading into the final stretch of the 2019 campaign. Regardless, McVay’s hesitance to commit to a potential timetable for his recovery indicates that Los Angeles will likely opt to take a cautious approach with his return.
The Rams were forced to make some serious adjustments up front heading into their 17-7 win over the Chicago Bears. Fortunately, rookie right tackle Bobby Evans proved to be more than up to the task after managing to hold defensive end Khalil Mack to zero tackles and zero sacks in his first career start.
Evans’ performance even earned him some praise from quarterback Jared Goff after helping to keep him clean from this talented Bears pass rush. Perhaps this could be why the Rams feel they have the luxury of being patient with Havenstein’s recovery as he continues to find his footing.
Los Angeles finally decided to feature a run-heavy approach in order to quell Chicago’s pass rush and it paid huge dividends for the offensive line when it came to getting comfortable in their new spots. It will be interesting to see how well they fare against the best rushing offense in the league when Baltimore comes to town in Week 12.
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