The Los Angeles Rams lost three key starters in their Week 11 win over the Seattle Seahawks, all of them landing on injured reserve. Quentin Lake, Tyler Higbee and Rob Havenstein were all put on IR and will miss a minimum of four games, but the Rams have a good plan in place when it comes to replacing each player.
In Sunday night’s dominant victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Rams gave us an idea of how they’ll fill those three voids. Josh Wallace took over for Lake in the slot and played most of the game, Colby Parkinson was the top tight end and Warren McClendon Jr. stepped up in place of Havenstein.
Here’s a look at the snap counts from Week 12.
Offense
Whittington and Mumpfield both contribute at WR: With Xavier Smith out, Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield both played meaningful roles on offense. Mumpfield caught two passes for 25 yards and Whittington caught three for 17 yards, playing a combined 57 snaps.
Parkinson and Allen remain ahead of Ferguson: Parkinson had a big game with four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown, doing an excellent job in Higbee’s place. Davis Allen was the No. 2 tight end and caught three passes for 29 yards, while Terrance Ferguson remains the third option, playing only 15 snaps.
Rams hit target with RB snap share: Sean McVay wants Kyren Williams to play about two-thirds of the game and Blake Corum to play the other third, and they hit that target on Sunday night. Williams played 66% of the snaps and Corum played 34%, combining for 70 yards on only 19 carries.
Defense
Wallace takes Lake’s spot in the slot: Prior to Sunday, Wallace had never played more than 55% of the snaps in a single game, but he was on the field for 89% against the Bucs, taking Lake’s spot in the slot. It’s unclear whether he played that much because of Roger McCreary’s injury after just one snap, but Wallace got the start, not McCreary.
Forbes and Durant still top 2 CBs: The Rams use a lot of defensive backs but Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Cobie Durant remain their top two cornerbacks, with Darious Williams also rotating in as the third option. Forbes played 73%, Durant played 71% and Williams played 56% of the snaps, with Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens and Wallace all playing 89%, too.
Backups get some run in a blowout: Chris Shula gave his backups a chance to play a bit with the score being lopsided, getting Troy Reeder, Tanner Ingle and Shaun Dolac on the field for three plays. Nick Hampton, Larrell Murchison and Ty Hamilton also played slightly more than usual.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams Week 12 snap counts: How LA replaced Lake, Higbee and Havenstein
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
