Rams’ Jared Goff dealing with bruised thumb on throwing hand
Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters Monday that quarterback Jared Goff suffered a thumb bruise on his right throwing hand in the second quarter when he threw an interception and hit his hand on the helmet of left tackle Andrew Whitworth.
“He was able to kind of get through it,” McVay said of Goff, who passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception, in the 44-21 loss.
On Monday, McVay said Goff’s thumb was better.
“He was feeling good. Came in, checked out today,” McVay said. “That’s a positive for him.”
The outlooks for cornerback Troy Hill and kicker Greg Zuerlein are more uncertain.
Hill, who was promoted to starter in Week 6 when Aqib Talib was placed on injured reserve then traded, fractured his right thumb in the first quarter and underwent surgery Monday.
McVay said it’s possible that Hill, who has two interceptions and eight pass deflections this season, will wear a cast to play Saturday against the 49ers.
“We’ll see how he’s feeling and what his pain tolerance looks like as the week progresses,” McVay said.
If Hill is unable to play, the Rams will turn to cornerback Darious Williams, who took over in the first quarter Sunday when Hill was sidelined and finished with four tackles.
McVay said Zuerlein suffered a “low strain quad” but he anticipates the kicker to be available Saturday.
However, contingency plans could be in place.
“We kind of have started to make sure we get our ducks in a row in case he isn’t able to go with some of the names that are out there,” McVay said. “We’ll have some updates on that later this week, but we do feel good about, hopefully, him being able to kick.”
Zuerlein has made 22 of 29 field goal attempts this season and has converted each of his 34 extra points.
The Rams have a 5% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. They must win Saturday against the 49ers and close out the regular season with a win at home over the Arizona Cardinals, plus the Minnesota Vikings must lose at home to the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.