And then there were eight.
Rams vs. Buccaneers will kick off the two-game slate on Sunday. The Buccaneers finished 13-4 during the regular season and secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC. They advanced to the NFC Divisional Round after defeating the Eagles 31-15 in the Wild Card Round and will have home-field advantage for this contest. The Rams finished 12-5 during the regular season and advanced to the Divisional Round after defeating the Cardinals 34-11.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Temperatures are expected to hover in the 40s with mild winds in the 5- to 10-mph range.
The final injury report of the week was released on Friday and was crowded: 16 players were listed on the Buccaneers' side (two more from Thursday) while six players were listed on the Rams' side.
Rams vs. Buccaneers Injury Report
Not sure what the above abbreviations mean? Click here to skip to our glossary below.
Latest on Rams-Bucs Injuries
Sunday Update
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported early Sunday afternoon that left tackle Tristan Wirfs (ankle) will be out against the Rams.
Friday Update
The Friday injury report for the Buccaneers was crowded with two new additions to Thursday's 14. Tight end Rob Gronkowski (Not injury related) and defensive end Ndamukong Suh (Not injury related) were added to today's report as non-participants due to non-injury related reasons, which should not warrant concern at this time.
Multiple non-participants were upgraded today, including left tackle Tristan Wirfs (ankle), center Ryan Jensen (ankle) and wide receiver Cyril Grayson Jr. (hamstring) were upgraded from DNPs to limited and are all questionable heading into the weekend, while quarterback Tom Brady (Not injury related) and defensive end Steve McLendon (Not injury related) — both added to yesterday's report — were upgraded from DNPs to full.
The only other upgrades were running back Giovani Bernard (hip/knee) and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (hamstring), both of which were upgraded from limited to full. Murphy-Bunting is questionable for this matchup.
Running back Ronald Jones II (ankle), wide receiver Breshad Perriman (hip/abdomen) and linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul (not injury related – personal) were non-participants for the third practice in a row. Jones and Perriman have been officially ruled out of this contest, while Pierre-Paul is questionable. Jones' absence should give way for a big game for running back Leonard Fournette (hamstring), who was absent from the injury report all week. Linebacker Shaquil Barrett (knee), safety Mike Edwards (elbow) were full participants for the third day in a row, while linebacker Lavonte David (foot) and left tackle Josh Wells (quadriceps) were limited for the third day in a row due to knee and quadricep injuries, respectively.
The Friday injury report for the Rams was much of the same with zero new additions. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee), safety Taylor Rapp (concussion) and running back Buddy Howell (hamstring) were non-participants all three days this week due to knee, concussion and hamstring issues, respectively. Whitworth and Rapp have been officially ruled out while Howell is doubtful to play.
Wide receivers Brandon Powell (ribs) and Ben Skowronek (back) and linebacker Troy Reeder (ankle) were upgraded from limited to full participants today.
Thursday Update
The Thursday injury report for the Buccaneers was loaded with two new additions to Wednesday's 12. Quarterback Tom Brady (not injury related) and defensive end Steve McLendon (not injury related) were both added to the report and did not participate. Both situations sound like veteran rest and should not warrant alarm at this time.
Most players' statuses remained the same day-over-day except for cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (hamstring), who was upgraded from a DNP to limited. Murphy-Bunting missed the wild-card round with a hamstring injury and could be trending in the right direction.
Running back Ronald Jones II (ankle), center Ryan Jensen (ankle), wide receivers Breshad Perriman (hip/abdomen) and Cyril Grayson (hamstring), right tackle Tristan Wirfs (ankle) and linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul (Not injury related – personal) all remained non-participants. Jones was inactive last week due to an ankle injury.
Running back Giovani Bernard (hip/knee), linebacker Lavonte David (foot) and right tackle Josh Wells (quadriceps) remained limited. Linebacker Shaquil Barrett (knee) and safety Mike Edwards (elbow) were only full participants on the report for the second day in a row.
The Thursday injury report for the Rams featured zero new additions or changes to Wednesday's iteration. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee), running back Buddy Howell (hamstring) and Taylor Rapp (concussion) were non-participants again, while linebacker Troy Reeder (ankle) and wide receivers Brandon Powell (ribs) and Ben Skowronek (back) were limited for the second day in a row.
Wednesday Update
The Wednesday injury report for the Buccaneers was loaded with 12 players total: Seven offensive players and five defensive players.
The Tampa Bay offensive players listed were running back Ronald Jones II (ankle) and Giovani Bernard (hip/knee), wide receivers Breshad Perriman (hip/abdomen) and Cyril Grayson Jr. (hamstring), center Ryan Jensen (ankle) and right tackles Tristan Wirfs (ankle) and Josh Wells (quadriceps). Jones and Grayson — who were both inactive last week — along with Perriman, Jensen and Wirfs were non-participants in Wednesday's practice. Jones is dealing with a lingering ankle injury. Bernard and Wells were limited participants.
The Tampa Bay defensive players listed were linebackers Lavonte David (foot), Shaquil Barrett (knee) and Jason Pierre-Paul (not injury related – personal), safety Mike Edwards (elbow) and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (hamstring). Murphy-Bunting and Pierre-Paul were non-participants, though Pierre-Paul's absence was not injury-related. Murphy-Bunting also missed the wild-card round with a hamstring injury. David was limited today while Barrett and Edwards were full participants.
A noteworthy omission from the report is running back Leonard Fournette (hamstring). Fournette had been activated off of injured reserve ahead of the wild-card round, but was ultimately held out of the game due to his lingering hamstring injury. His status will be crucial for the Buccaneers' run game, especially with Jones ailing as well.
The Wednesday injury report for the Rams included six players total: four offensive players and two defensive players.
The Los Angeles offensive players listed were wide receivers Brandon Powell (ribs) and Ben Skowronek (back), running back Buddy Howell (hamstring) and left tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee). Whitworth — who left Monday's game after one play due to a leg injury — and Howell — the team's fourth-string back who did not play at all in the wild-card round — were non-participants with knee and hamstring injuries, respectively. Whitworth was rolled up on by another player, but avoided a major injury aside from swelling in the knee and ankle. There is major uncertainty if he can play this week, however. Both wideouts Powell and Skowronek played last week and were limited today.
The Los Angeles defensive players listed were safety Taylor Rapp (concussion) and linebacker Troy Reeder (ankle). Rapp is currently in the concussion protocol and missed last week. He did not practice today. Reeder was a limited participant due to an ankle injury.
NFL Injury Report Glossary
For Daily Practice Statuses
- DNP: Acronym for "did not participate" in practice that day.
- LP: Acronym for "limited participation" in practice that day.
- FP: Acronym for "full participation" in practice that day.
- (-): Not listed.
For Game Statuses
- Out: Will not play this week.
- Doubtful: Unlikely to play this week.
- Questionable: Not certain to play this week.
- (-): Not listed (in most cases means "active").
