Garrett and Ferguson Are Both Out This Week, and McVay Has No Timeline for Either

Sean McVay confirmed Wednesday that Myles Garrett and Terrance Ferguson will not return to practice this week, leaving the Rams without their marquee pass rusher and one of their tight ends as they prepare for the Chargers. Garrett's knee has now kept him off the field long enough that McVay's answers have stopped sounding like injury updates and started sounding like shrugs. Ferguson's ankle puts him in the same category.

The two absences land on different sides of the ball but create the same problem: the Rams are playing short-handed in both phases simultaneously. Davante Adams is already on injured reserve. Ferguson joins him there. On defense, Garrett was the offseason acquisition meant to anchor a pass rush that hasn't yet looked like the unit Los Angeles paid for. Josaiah Stewart is listed first at defensive end on the current depth chart, which tells you something about where this week's pressure package is coming from.

The Rams are one game back of the final wild-card spot with 10 to play. That math is still workable. What isn't workable, long-term, is running a playoff push without knowing when your best defensive player is coming back. McVay has been asked that question for four days running now. The answer hasn't changed.