Rams to Take on Chiefs for 2nd Preseason Contest

Rams to Take on Chiefs for 2nd Preseason Contest


Myles Simmons
Rams Insider
@MylesASimmons

[www.therams.com]


After a rousing comeback win in their first preseason matchup, the Rams will be back in action on Saturday evening against the Chiefs (0-1). 


The contest will feature the preseason debut of running back Todd Gurley, who was a healthy scratch last week against the Cowboys.

“I don’t know how much, but he’s going to play. Maybe a series, maybe two,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “A couple carries, maybe some protection stuff and then get him out.”

Still recovering from his ACL tear in November 2014, Gurley did not take a snap during the 2015 preseason. But that did not stop him from becoming the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Nevertheless, Gurley sees value in August game reps.

“Obviously, practice is a lot different from the game,” Gurley said. “You do that stuff in practice, but those game reps creep up on you a lot faster. It’s always good to go in there and get some reps, for sure.”

Also on the playing time front, Fisher said he plans on having quarterback Jared Goff run a series or two with the first-team offense.

“It’s important to get [him] in there with the starters and the ones, so I think it’ll be a good experience for him,” Fisher said. “He’s been working with them out here off and on all week.”


Goff has been making steady progress in practice, putting together one of his best days of training camp on Wednesday.

“At this point, every day gets better,” Goff said after the session. “Like I’ve said a few times at this point, every day its gotten better since OTAs, all the way through, through the summer, minicamp, up until now, I feel like I’ve grown exponentially, and I’m happy with where I’m at.”

While the No. 1 overall pick left last week’s contest a bit earlier than planned due to experience discomfort in his non-throwing shoulder, Goff had no issues with it in practice this week.

On the other side, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters he’s planning on playing his starters through the first half, which means the Rams should see plenty of quarterback Alex Smith and cornerback Marcus Peters. Smith has thrived as a quarterback under Reid, averaging 3,355 yards passing, 20 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions over the last three seasons.

Peters is the reigning AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, winning the award after leading the league with eight interceptions last season — two of which he returned for touchdowns. He’s picked up right where he left off, picking off a pass against Seattle last week.

The Rams will likely see a familiar face in the opposing huddle during the second half, as quarterback Nick Foles comes to town competing for Kansas City’s backup quarterback role. Foles, of course, started 11 games for the Rams last year. Los Angeles released the signal-caller just before the start of training camp in July.

Generally, Fisher said the Rams’ starters will play into the second quarter and the club will start substituting from there. We do know that while defensive end Robert Quinn is healthy and back from watching his sister compete in the 100m hurdles at the Olympics, the D-lineman is not expected to play on Saturday.

“I think it just makes sense to hold Robert for another week [with] the travel and everything,” Fisher said. “He had a good practice today. He’s going to get caught up — his sleep is a little off and you don’t want to take a chance. He’s in great shape, so I think we’ll hold Rob until we go to Denver.”


Cornerback E.J. Gaines is expected to see live snaps for the first time since Week 16 of the 2014 season. And tight end Temarrick Hemingway should see significant time at tight end after a solid week of camp.

“Temarrick is coming along fast,” Fisher said. “He’s been slowed by injury, but had a really good couple of days on the practice field, offensively. We haven’t done anything with him in special teams, we’ll increase that load with him next week.”

Fisher also said offensive lineman Isaiah Battle and wide receiver Nelson Spruce have been ruled out. Tight end Tyler Higbee has been dealing with flu-like symptoms so he may be held out. And safety/linebacker Mark Barron may be a game-time decision.

The second preseason game is similar to the first in that teams will not do much game-planning. But with all the hype that went into the team’s re-introduction to Los Angeles, it will probably be nice to have some normalcy this time around.

“I think the guys will be a little bit more relaxed, having gone through the experience,” Fisher said. “Understand that 90 minutes before kickoff, there’s a lot of stuff going on in their world. Some guys were on the field with pregame warm-ups and asking for help because they needed tickets and that shouldn’t be the case – that’s a distraction. Once you get through the first one, I think things will settle down a little bit for us.”

Kickoff at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is slated for 6 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS 2 in Los Angeles and simulcast on the NFL Network for those outside the home market.