McDuffie and Curl Both Questionable, and the Secondary Is Running Out of Bodies

Trent McDuffie is questionable, Kam Curl is questionable, and Myles Garrett is already on injured reserve. The Rams' defensive backfield, which was supposed to be a strength this season after the front office invested heavily in the secondary, is now managing two of its three key pieces on the injury report at the same time.

The depth chart behind them is thin. Quentin Lake and Damarion Williams are next in line at the DB spots, and Emmanuel Forbes and Nyzier Fourqurean are the options at corner. Those are names that can hold a game together for a quarter or two — they are not names you want anchoring a secondary for a stretch run. Curl has been one of the more reliable defenders on this roster all season, finishing with 149 tackles and three interceptions over 20 games. Losing him for any significant stretch would hurt. Losing him and McDuffie at the same time is a different kind of problem.

The Rams are 12-5 and in the playoff picture, but the close-game issues that haunted them last year have not gone away. When the margin is a possession, the secondary gets tested — and right now this one is not at full strength. That's the part worth watching over the next week or so.