Los Angeles Rams

Whitworth announced Tuesday he is retiring after a 16-year pro career that culminated with a Super Bowl championship for the Rams over his only other NFL team. 

"My chapter may have closed on the field, but my story is unfinished. Can't wait for my next one," Whitworth wrote on Instagram. "Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey." 

Whitworth turned 40 last December and made history as the oldest player to start at left tackle in the modern game. 

His career began in 2006, when he was drafted in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals out of LSU after winning a national championship for the Tigers. He spent his first 11 seasons with the Bengals, earning three Pro Bowl selections and was named an All-Pro first-team pick in 2016. 

Whitworth signed with the Rams prior to the 2017 season and made 71 starts over the past five seasons, garnering All-Pro first-team accolades and another Pro Bowl nod during his first year with the franchise. 

Still considered one of the top left tackles in the game this past season, Whitworth was named the 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year – an award given to a player for his excellence on and off the field.  

His final honour came in February, when his Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20 in the Super Bowl to win the Lombardi Trophy. 

After winning the championship, Whitworth had been expected to retire and go out on top. The Rams re-signed his backup, Joe Noteboom, on Monday to a three-year contract worth up to $47.5 million. 

Josh Allen faces Zach Wilson as the New York Jets confront a major test of their defense against the soaraway Buffalo Bills, while the Los Angeles Rams will look to keep up their remarkable record against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Could Derrick Henry have another monumental game in him after last week's big effort, and after he dispelled worries about a foot problem?

Stats Perform has taken a look at the numbers ahead of Sunday's games, beginning with the travails of the Brady bunch.

Los Angeles Rams (3-4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)

The Buccaneers are on the slide, and the Rams are just about the nightmare opponents this weekend, judging by recent games between the teams.

Including Los Angeles' win in last season's Divisional Round, the Rams are 9-1 in their last 10 games against the Bucs, and that includes a 5-0 streak in Tampa.

This game is big for both, and for the Bucs it offers a chance to halt a losing sequence of three. They were beaten 27-22 by the Baltimore last week and are on their longest single-season losing run since a dismal four-game run in the 2019 season.

It remains to be seen whether Tom Brady can get them out of this mess. Brady threw for 325 yards and zero interceptions in last week's loss to Baltimore. Across his stellar career, he is 54-7 when throwing 300 yards and no interceptions, but this season he is 1-2 in such games.

Brady might fancy the job against a Rams team who have scored 14 or fewer points and lost by double-digits four times already this season, including last time out in a 31-14 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Rival quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 187 yards last week on 33 attempts. His team are 2-9 in games where Stafford has thrown the ball at least 30 times and finished with fewer than 200 passing yards.

Buffalo Bills (6-1) at New York Jets (5-3)

The Buffalo Bills are 6-1 for the first time since 1993, the season they last made it through to the Super Bowl. This weekend they go after a fifth win in a row after getting the better of the Green Bay Packers last time out.

What's more, they have strung together a four-game winning streak in road games against the Jets, second only in franchise history to a seven-game streak from 1987 to 1993.

The Bills have outscored this season's opponents by 105 points (203-98) so far, the widest differential in the NFL.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen has urged the Jets to show patience with his struggling counterpart Zach Wilson, who has completed just 54.9 per cent of passes this season, the second-worst rate in the NFL heading into Week 9. Wilson has thrown for 1,048 yards across five games, with three touchdowns and five interceptions, compared to Allen's 2,198 yards for 19 TDs and six interceptions from seven games.

Stefon Diggs has at least 100 yards and a receiving touchdown in three straight games, the longest streak of the Bills wide receiver's career and tied for the longest streak in team history with Elbert Dubenion (1964). The last NFL player with a longer streak was Adam Thielen in 2018 (five). How Diggs fares against Jets rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner will be a factor.

The Jets have already topped last season's four wins, but they are 8-30 against divisional opponents since 2016, the worst record in the NFL.

Tennessee Titans (5-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

What does Titans running back Henry have in store for an encore? Henry last week recorded his sixth career 200-yard rushing game, with 219 yards and two touchdowns against the Texans, tying Adrian Peterson and O.J. Simpson for the most all-time. All other active players have combined for just four such games.

The Chiefs will be wary of that threat, and will look to their own WR, JuJu Smith-Schuster, to make his own impact. After failing to reach 90 yards or find the endzone in his first five games this season, Smith-Schuster now has back-to-back games with at least 100 yards and a touchdown. He had not had such a game since Week 8, 2019 and now has eight such games in his career.

The Titans have won four straight regular season matchups with the Chiefs but lost in the 2020 AFC Championship Game in Kansas City.

Their respective 5-2 records this season disguise the fact each of those wins has been relatively close. The Titans and Vikings have only won by single digits this season. Only five teams in NFL history have seen such a streak reach six games – the 2020 Chiefs, 1997 Vikings, 1994 Giants, 1988 Saints and 1986 Giants. Of those, only the Chiefs' streak reached seven.

Elsewhere...

The Miami Dolphins (5-3) will be looking for a fourth consecutive road win against the Chicago Bears (3-5), which would make the Dolphins the first AFC team since the conference came into being in 1970 to have such a streak in Chicago. Miami's Tyreek Hill has gone 52 consecutive receptions without a receiving touchdown. That accounts for the longest streak of his career, nearly doubling his previous career-long streak (27, twice).

Memories of a record-setting 2014 game between the Carolina Panthers and the Bengals will be stoked when the teams meet in Cincinnati on Sunday. The last time these teams met at the home of the Bengals it finished in a 37-37 tie, and entering Week 9 in 2022 that remains the highest-scoring tie in an NFL game since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.

The New England Patriots are 4-4 for the fifth time in the Bill Belichick era (since 2000) as they approach a home game against the Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1). The other four times the Patriots started 4-4 under Belichick, they made the playoffs three times (2001, 2005, 2021) and missed the playoffs once (2002). Between the regular season and playoffs, Belichick owns an 18-9 career record against the Colts, with only Don Shula (36 wins as coach of the Dolphins from 1970 to 1995) having achieved more such wins.

After winning it all in Super Bowl LVI, Stafford went into his offseason program dealing with a lingering elbow issue that would not allow him to throw. He ended up being held out from throwing altogether in the offseason program and was still limited during training camp.

Stafford's spotty preparation led to one of the worst statistical seasons of his career. In his nine starts before a season-ending spinal cord contusion, Stafford led the Rams to a 3-6 record with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

His 10 touchdowns were the fewest in any of his 13 seasons where he has made at least eight starts, while his 10.1 yards per completion was also a career low, and his 231.9 yards per game were the fewest since his rookie year back in 2009.

After two concussions and his spinal cord injury, while also playing on a Rams team seemingly trending in the wrong direction looking forward, there was plenty of speculation if Stafford would play on in 2023, but he told reporters on Monday that he is raring to go.

"I'm not 25, but I definitely feel good," Stafford said after turning 35 in February. "It's fun to be as refreshed as I am coming back into this building.

"I'm in a good head space as far as how I'm feeling [and] what I'm able to accomplish while I'm here, and that puts me in a good mood.

"It gets me excited to be here and kind of helps me make sure that my attitude, my energy level, is at the correct place every single time I come in here – and I feel like it's there right now."

While admitting he is not able to throw every day with reckless abandon like he once could, Stafford said he is "ready to go [and] ready to play".

"It's kind of nice that I'll be able to go out there and have a much more normal offseason experience and be able to be out there and do what I love to do," he said.

"I'm probably not a human Jugs machine like I used to be, [but I] can still get it out there and throw it around a bunch.

"So, it'll be a process as it always is to try and stay as healthy as you possibly can at all times. But I definitely feel like I can go out there and compete and do everything I want to do, which is fun and exciting for me."

Stafford exited the game after appearing to hit his head on the turf and then being sacked to end that same drive. 

The Rams said Stafford was being evaluated for a concussion, but coach Sean McVay said after the game he was not sure if his Super Bowl champion signal-caller was in the NFL’s concussion protocol. 

Stafford cleared the league’s protocol on Friday after missing last week’s 27-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals due to a hit he took in a 16-13 defeat at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 6.  

Following Sunday’s loss, McVay said he had no update on Stafford’s status. 

''I need to talk to the doctors,'' McVay said. ''Obviously we need to make a smart decision for Matthew and see where we're at with that.

"I know how he was feeling, and we made the decision it was going to be in his best interest to not have him continue to play.'' 

The Rams have lost four in a row to fall to 3-7 and equal the worst 10-game record of any defending Super Bowl champion. 

Stafford has missed two of the Rams' last three games because of concussion protocols and a neck injury. While he’s cleared for the concussion, the team is still gathering information about the neck injury.

"I think there’s so many layers [to that decision]," McVay said. "There’s so much thought and dialogue that goes into it, but I think first and foremost it’s got to get cleared from the medical experts.

"I’m not the expert in that area, but if there’s any sort of sense of, this is something that’ll be better served in the long term or it’s going to be a few more week, things like that, I think that’ll end up taking care of itself."

John Wolford will start Sunday against Seattle and Bryce Perkins, who started last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, will serve as his backup.

The Rams may be extra careful with Stafford because he felt numbness in his legs after taking a hit against the New Orleans Saints on November 20. That was just two days after he cleared the concussion protocol for the first time.

McVay didn’t rule out that Stafford could be shut down for the season.

"If there’s any inkling that he can play, this guy is going to want to play. Now [there is] a possibility that we say, 'based on what we’re gathering, the doctors, those types of things, the smart thing is not to play you' – and he could be upset with me.

"But I think he knows that I have his best interest and we have his best interest. If that’s the case, then that’s definitely a possibility."

The injury-depleted Rams are enduing a dismal season after winning the Super Bowl last season. They have lost five straight, and at 3-8 are among the worst teams in the league.

With Stafford out and backup quarterback John Wolford in the game, the Rams lost their third game in a row, and their fifth loss from their past six outings.

Sitting at 3-6, the reigning Super Bowl champions look a long way from being contenders this year, with their playoff chances hanging by a thread when they travel to New Orleans.

Stafford, 34, tossed an equal career-high 41 touchdown passes last season in his first year since being traded from the Detroit Lions, but he has struggled this campaign, with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games.

The Rams are currently last in the NFC West, three games behind the division-leading Seattle Seahawks (6-4). They also have, by far, the worst point differential in the division at minus 52, behind the Arizona Cardinals (minus 28), the Seahawks (plus 16) and the San Francisco 49ers (plus 35).

Wolford was in a neck brace when he was taken away from Lumen Field in an ambulance having been struck on the head by the shoulder of Seahawks safety Jamal Adams in the first quarter.

Asked for an update on the 25-year-old, Rams head coach Sean McVay told the media he had been released from hospital.

"He must be good because he was in the locker room smiling, looking good," said McVay.

"I think it was just a stinger, but he definitely seemed good. We wanted to be as cautious as we could with something like that. It looks like it's trending in a positive direction."

Wolford was selected to start the Wild Card game after completing 22 of 38 throws for 231 yards passing as the Rams clinched their playoff spot by defeating the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17.

The fact starting quarterback Jared Goff underwent thumb surgery less than two weeks ago played a part in McVay's decision.

However, Goff came off the bench to replace Wolford and passed for 155 yards - the most by any player off the bench since Jay Fielder's 172 for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1999 Divisional Round.

He connected on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Robert Woods, while Cam Akers had 176 scrimmage yards - the second-most by a rookie in his playoff debut - and Darious Williams scored a 42-yard interception return.

"For [Goff] to be able to throw the football is pretty impressive," McVay said.

"There were a couple limitations which led to the decision to go with John. I was real pleased with Jared, and I think it was a real credit to him to be able to handle this week the right way and have himself mentally ready to go."

Asked for his opinion on McVay's decision, Goff said: "It was tough. It was some long conversations we had, but ultimately, I respect his decision.

"He's the coach. He had to make a decision that he needed to make early in the week to get out in front of some stuff, and I get it, but as a competitor of course I wanted to play."

Goff suggested there was added motivation for the Rams after seeing the Seahawks celebrate clinching the NFC West division title by beating them 20-9 in Week 16.

"Two weeks ago, you saw them smoking cigars and getting all excited about beating us and winning the division, and we're able to come up here and beat them in their own place. It feels good," he said.

The quarterback has been ruled out of this weekend's clash with the Kansas City Chiefs with a strained neck, having also suffered from a concussion earlier this month.

The Super Bowl LVI winners have struggled this season, and now look as if they could be without their first-choice QB for the rest of the campaign.

According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, the 3-7 Rams do not know if Stafford will feature again in a campaign that is slipping away from them, with six losses in their last seven games.

Bryce Perkins, a 2020 undrafted free agent, is expected to get his first start against the Chiefs this weekend in Stafford's absence, having replaced him during last Sunday's game with the New Orleans Saints.

If there is a potential revival, Stafford could be considered to feature for a home stretch, but otherwise is likely to be kept on the sidelines as the team lick their wounds from a tough year.

The Rams also remain without star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who is expected to miss the rest of 2022 following ankle surgery.

Stafford has passed for 2,087 yards this campaign, with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions to his name.

Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed on Wednesday that Stafford had entered the protocol on Tuesday with medical staff performing their "cleanup after the game" from Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stafford has not missed an NFL game since 2019, but if he is unavailable, John Wolford would be the Rams' starting quarterback.

"We'll take it a day at a time with him," McVay told reporters. "We're still anticipating and having the optimistic approach that there's a possibility that he'll be ready to go."

McVay added: "I know Matthew's going to do everything in his power to try to be able to be ready and we'll just take it a day at a time.

"But John's a guy that when he's been in these situations, he's stepped in and done a really good job. And it wasn't too long ago that he had to come in a game that we had to have to be able to get into the playoffs and he performed incredibly well."

McVay clarified that Stafford had not shown any indication that he was dealing with concussion symptoms during Sunday's game. He said medical staff "determined that they felt like that [entering protocols] was the best thing for him".

Stafford completed 13 of 27 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions against the Bucs. He was sacked four times in the game.

The 34-year-old Super Bowl LVI champion has a 68.4 per cent completion rate for 1,928 passing yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.

The Rams are 3-5 and third in the NFC West, while the Cardinals are 3-6 and fourth in that division.

The Rams toppled the Cardinals, who are ahead of them in the NFC West, to improve their record to 9-4, while Arizona go to 10-3.

Stafford's side had lost three in a row against the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers before winning their past two and refused to get carried away.

"Obviously it's big. Obviously it's a great win for us but at the same time we've got to make it worth something," Stafford told ESPN after the game. "We win this one and don’t take care of business in other weeks, then it don't mean much.

"We're on to the next one. This is a nice win for us, a division opponent, at a tough place to play, without some big-time key players, it's a good win to get but we've got to continue to get some more of them."

Stafford had three touchdown passes, completing 23 of 30 attempts for 287 yards. He has an NFL-high six games without three TD passes and no interceptions this season, ahead of Kirk Cousins, Justin Herbert and Aaron Rodgers with four.

The win came with the Rams without five players due to COVID-19 protocols, including Jalen Ramsey and Tyler Higbee who were both ruled out on the day of the game. Rob Havenstein, Dont'e Deayon and running back Darrell Henderson were also unavailable.

"It's a total team win," Stafford added. "A lot of adversity this week and today with some stuff going on with the players and personnel, I'm just proud of our team and our coach, and everyone sticking together. Getting one at their place, it's a tough place to play."

Rams head coach Sean McVay reiterated Stafford's comments, with the side scheduled to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday after they had managed back-to-back wins.

"It's a measuring stick for tonight. I thought the guys answered the bell," McVay said at the post-game news conference. "We've talked about it throughout the course of the year, how do we build on this, this is one night, we'll enjoy this but we've got a short week.

"Seattle has really gotten rolling over these last couple of weeks. Big win over San Fran, they looked good versus the Texans yesterday. Really pleased with these guys but we want to continue to be totally and completely present. Enjoy this but let's keep building on it.

"That's what the good teams do, they get better in the month of December. That's our goal, you've got to continue to be relevant but you want to make sure that you're improving so if you do give yourself an opportunity to play after the regular season, you're playing your best ball."

The loss is Arizona's third in a row at home and they were left to bemoan their final possession, having got within seven points, as quarterback Kyler Murray ran out of options with the clock ticking down, before being sacked for a third time by Aaron Donald.

On the final play, Murray said: "It was a miscommunication between me and the line. They thought it was a spike. It was a heat of the moment deal. I don’t even recall what was being said in the helmet."

Three-time Pro Bowler Gurley was selected by the Rams as the number 10 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Gurley moved with the team from St Louis to Los Angeles and was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2017, before helping the Rams to the Super Bowl in the following season.

The 25-year-old former Georgia star managed 72 starts, 5,404 yards and 70 touchdowns in total.

Gurley had signed a four-year, $60million contract less than two years ago but subsequently suffered with knee problems as the offense toiled last year.

Keeping Gurley on the team on Thursday would reportedly have cost the Rams $10.5m, and they opted to release the player when no trade materialised.

Fellow Rams star Aaron Donald responded to the news by replying to a Twitter post from the NFL with a single angry emoji.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey simply posted: "Wow."

The Rams also released linebacker Clay Matthews, who joined the team as a free agent in 2019 and played 13 games.

A 20-17 triumph over NFC West rivals the Niners means it is the Rams who will face the Cincinnati Bengals with NFL glory on the line at SoFi Stadium on February 13.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year became the first team to play in a Super Bowl at their home stadium and went one step further by winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy against the Kansas City Chiefs.

And the Rams now have an opportunity emulate the Bucs after reaching their second Super Bowl in the space of four years, with this one on home soil.

"To be able to play at home in this house that Stan Kroenke built, this iconic venue, is really unique," McVay said, per ESPN, after the win over the Niners. 

"A little bit easier travel schedule for us since we travelled all over the country during the course of the year.  Just so happy with this group and proud to be associated with it.

"We always talk about being totally and completely present, having a short memory for good and bad. Being able to hit that reset button. I thought our guys did that in a big way."

Matthew Stafford led a Rams comeback from 17-7 down. He completed 31 of 45 passes for 337 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Having gone 12 years without a postseason win as a member of the Detroit Lions, the quarterback now has three straight playoff victories and the chance to match the history made by Tom Brady if he wins a fourth.

"It's great that it's here," Stafford said about the home Super Bowl. "If we were playing in it, I didn't give a hell where it was. I'm like, I just want to play in the dang thing. 

"But the fact that it's under this roof, it's going to be awesome. 

"Our fans did an unbelievable job making it a tough environment. And it's nice to send some of those red jerseys home."

Star wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught both Stafford TD passes in a fine display that saw him make 11 catches for 142 yards.

Odell Beckham Jr (nine catches for 113) was another standout performer and like Stafford he will also play in his first Super Bowl.

"Everything about this place is right, and it's done right," Beckham, who joined in a mid-season trade from the Cleveland Browns, said. 

"It's just been an incredible opportunity that I feel like I'm just trying to make the most of. Here we are playing in the Super Bowl, one game away from our dreams. Just keep going."

McVay was effusive in his praise of Stafford after the game and Beckham was similarly complimentary.

"Everything that you could hope and wish for," Beckham said about Stafford.

"He had that look in his eyes the whole game. He motivated us, he pushed us, one play at a time, and he drove us down. 

"He's just been doing that all postseason, all season really, since I've been here, he's just had that look on him. Just happy that we could get him to this point.

"I know it was tough for Detroit for a lot of those years. He is having an amazing opportunity and is just gonna take full advantage of it."

The Rams have one Super Bowl title in franchise history, which came in 1999 when they represented the city of St Louis, and three NFL championships overall.

Cincinnati will be making their third appearance in the big dance and are seeking their first title.

The Rams have agreed to traded Cooks to the Texans for a second-round pick while sending a future fourth-rounder to Houston, according to ESPN. The Texans will be the fourth team that Cooks has played for in his six-year career.

He will help fill the void left by the Texans' shock trade of superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was sent to the Arizona Cardinals last month for running back David Johnson and two draft picks.

Cooks spent his first three seasons with the New Orleans Saints before he was dealt to the New England Patriots prior to the 2017 season. He spent one season in New England and was traded to the Rams in April 2018.

Los Angeles signed Cooks to an $81million contract extension through 2023 before he played a game for the team.

Cooks had his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2018 but declined last season to a career-low 42 receptions and 583 yards with two touchdowns. He also missed two games due to concussion issues.

McVay told reporters the Rams are still trying to determine whether Stafford suffered a concussion after he was forced to exit last Sunday’s 27-20 loss to the Saints early in the third quarter.

The veteran quarterback previously sustained a head injury in Los Angeles' Week 9 loss at Tampa Bay, and sat out the following week's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

"We're checking all those boxes and going through all that," McVay said. "

"There's a lot of layers to it, but you certainly want to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to [address] exactly what went into that feeling, and letting the experts be able [to] give their opinion, look at the MRI and those scans, and be able to give the right information so that we can move forward accordingly with him."

McVay said Stafford was removed from last week’s game after he felt numbness in his legs after being hit, and was placed in concussion protocol per NFL policy.

The sixth-year head coach added the struggling defending Super Bowl champions could consider shutting Stafford down for the remainder of the season.

"We're not going to do anything that's reckless," McVay said.

"[Stafford] is such a great competitor and I definitely think that's probably one of those deals where if he is cleared, you definitely want to make sure that I'm making a smart decision for him and for our team, not exclusive to this year."

With number two quarterback John Wolford dealing with a neck injury, Bryce Perkins took first-team reps in Wednesday's practice and could be in line for his first career NFL start against the AFC-leading Chiefs.

Perkins, an undrafted free agent who signed with the Rams in 2020, completed five of 10 passes for 64 yards after replacing Stafford last week and added 26 rushing yards on three attempts.

Los Angeles has lost four straight games to fall to 3-7 and are currently three games out of a playoff spot with seven to play.

After some reports had surfaced that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was considering retirement, NFL.com reported Monday that the Rams have restructured Donald's contract to guarantee him $95m over the next three seasons. 

While no years were added to Donald's deal, the added guaranteed money will make the seven-time All-Pro the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. 

One of the most disruptive defenders ever, Donald now turns his focus towards helping the Rams repeat as Super Bowl champions. 

Donald, 31, had 3.5 sacks last postseason, including two in Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals, helping to lead the Rams to their first title since the 1999 season. 

Drafted by the Rams 13th overall in 2014, Donald is the centerpiece of a "win-now" roster filled with high-priced veterans, such as quarterback Matthew Stafford, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and receiver Cooper Kupp. 

Donald's 98 career sacks rank sixth among active players and are tied for the fourth most all-time in the first eight seasons of a player's career. 

The star defensive tackle has been absent for the Rams' last two NFL games after sustaining an ankle injury in the 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on November 27.

McVay's men are already out of postseason contention at 4-10 following injury problems surrounding Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp and a host of other players.

Donald will remain sidelined along with that pair for Sunday's clash with the visiting Denver Broncos and McVay does not expect the 31-year-old to feature again this season for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

"Probably not," McVay responded when asked if Donald would feature again with three games left of the Rams' campaign.

"I just think, 'Will he be fully cleared to be Aaron Donald?'. And if he is, talk to him and see. But if not, we'll err on the side of being smart with him.

"But obviously, he's a guy that has certainly earned the right where you talk to him. But he's not cleared yet and I don't know that I see that changing in the next couple of weeks."

If Donald does not return, he will end 2022 with 49 tackles, five sacks, 10 tackles for loss and one forced fumble from his 11 games.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was named to a ninth straight Pro Bowl on Monday.

Coach Sean McVay told reporters on Tuesday that the 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year will undergo tightrope surgery for his high-ankle sprain.

The recovery time is expected to be about five to six weeks, meaning it is possible Kupp could return for one of the Rams’ final few games.

It is also possible, however, the Rams ultimately decide to shut him down for the rest of the season if they are out of the playoff picture.

The Rams fell to 3-6 after Sunday’s 27-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Kupp was injured against the Cardinals when he jumped in an attempt to make a catch and his right ankle was rolled over by a defender upon landing.

He has been one of the few bright spots in the Rams offence, ranking second in the NFL in receptions (75) and fifth in both receiving yards (812) and receiving touchdowns (6).

"Obviously you never ever replace a player like Cooper Kupp, but we've got to figure out the best way to accentuate the skill sets of the guys that will be playing," McVay said.

In 2021, Kupp became just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to lead the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

He played a crucial role in the Rams’ run to the Super Bowl, catching 33 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns in four playoff contests, including eight receptions for 92 yards and a pair of TDs in the title game.

Although he is enjoying another stellar season, the Rams rank 29th in scoring (16.4 points per game) and 31st in total yards (282.7 per game).

Allen Robinson and Van Jefferson will likely see larger roles in the offence in Kupp’s absence.

According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, Miller is saying his goodbyes to the Broncos after Denver agreed to deal him to the Rams for a pair of day-two draft choices.

The Broncos, according to Schefter, are paying $9million of Miller's remaining $9.7m salary as part of the trade.

Miller is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but the Rams will hope his addition to the defense can propel them to a Super Bowl title that has eluded them since the 1999 season.

He joins a top-heavy defense that has taken a step back in 2021 but boasts fearsome stars in the form of defensive tackle Aaron Donald, regarded by many as the best player in the NFL, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

And the Rams can afford to be confident they are getting a player still capable of delivering the pass-rush production that has defined his stellar career.

Since being drafted by the Broncos in 2011 with the second overall pick, Miller has recorded 110.5 sacks, the most in the NFL, winning the Super Bowl 50 MVP award as he played a key role in delivering the Lombardi Trophy to Denver at the end of the 2015 season.

Miller was inactive for the Broncos' Week 8 win over the Washington Football Team but has done an excellent job of creating pressure this campaign.

He has a pressure rate of 24.8 per cent, which was well above the pre-Week 8 average of 17.2 per cent for edge rushers.

Miller is set to make his Rams debut on Sunday in a primetime clash with a Tennessee Titans team that will be without running back Derrick Henry, who may miss the rest of the season with a foot injury.

Donald was one of the initial two Pro Bowl announcements, with Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander also receiving the honour ahead of Monday's clash between the Rams and Packers.

Drafted in 2014, Donald was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year, making the Pro Bowl in the process, and he has gone on to earn selection in every season of his career.

He joins Hall-of-Famers Joe Thomas, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Franco Harris, Derrick Thomas, Mel Renfro, Barry Sanders and Merlin Olsen as the only players to achieve the feat in their first nine seasons.

It adds to one of the sport's greatest defensive resumes, as Donald also has three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and seven consecutive selections to the All-Pro First Team from 2015 through 2021.

Having never played less than 14 games in any of his eight previous seasons, Donald's streak of All-Pro First Teams is in jeopardy after only tallying five sacks in 11 games, with his campaign likely over due to injury.

Meanwhile, Alexander, a first-round pick in 2018 will compete in his second Pro Bowl after also earning selection in 2020, a season where he was named to the All-Pro Second Team.

The rest of the Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Wednesday.

According to widespread reports, wide receiver Woods will join the Titans in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2023.

The Titans were looking for a new complement for number one wide receiver A.J. Brown after releasing Julio Jones following his injury-hit season with the AFC South winners in 2021.

Woods, who spent five seasons with the Rams, also suffered injury frustration last season, tearing his ACL in November and missing the Super Bowl run.

Prior to that, though, Woods had been consistently productive for the Rams, most notably racking up 266 catches for 3,289 yards in remarkable three-year run from 2018 to 2020. 

The 29-year-old had a $3.5million roster bonus due on Sunday and the Rams recently made a big move at the receiver position.

They signed top free agent Allen Robinson to partner with All-Pro Cooper Kupp, who won the receiving triple crown as he topped the NFL for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last year.

Odell Beckham Jr. helped to fill the void left by Woods' injury towards the end of last season and the Rams are still reportedly keen to bring him back as well.

The Rams' situation gave the Titans, who won the AFC South last season and went into the playoffs as number one seeds in the conference, a window to strike a deal for Woods.

After a stunning regular season, the Titans promptly lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, who went on to face the Rams in the Super Bowl, in the Divisional Round when the postseason began.

Tennessee have made the playoffs in three straight seasons and hope Woods can help a roster that also contains quarterback Ryan Tannehill, star wideout Brown and running back Derrick Henry to make the next step.