Sean McVay delivers an update on Cooper Kupp as well as injury updates.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA — On a short week, here are some injury reports from Rams head coach Sean McVay...

Alaric Jackson, the starting left tackle, is out with a hamstring injury. McVay said Jackson is "day by day" and "feeling good" but his status for Sunday's game in Indianapolis is unknown. Jackson exited Monday night's game and did not return.

In his place, the Rams used Zach Thomas at left tackle, and Thomas struggled in primarily one-on-one matchups against Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson and others, as coaches did not provide him with chipping or blocking support from tight end. The coaching staff also decided to maintain Joe Noteboom at right guard when he temporarily exited the game with a knee injury and returned. Noteboom has started at left tackle for the Rams, and the team also activated backup right guard Tremayne Anchrum, but McVay said after the game that he didn't want to make a "two-man switch" (replacing both a left tackle and a right guard, though they did have to do that briefly when Anchrum came in for Noteboom).

Both receiver Ben Skowronek and tight end Tyler Higbee are suffering from Achilles tendinitis. Puka Nacua is still rehabilitating from an oblique injury suffered in Week 1.

Meanwhile, McVay expressed confidence that receiver Cooper Kupp will be activated from injured reserve next week. Kupp has been out with a hamstring injury.

"That's the hope," McVay added. "He's getting better. He's doing an excellent job. But I don't want to be pigeonholed into anything. He's increasing his workload, and he's doing an excellent job with Reggie and his team. The terms'returning to performance' and'returning to play' are not interchangeable. We want him to be able to'return to performance' at the level he's capable of, so we're taking things day by day. I'm sure he's doing everything he can to make himself ready to go and out there with his teammates. Hopefully, it will be the case next week. If not, I'll keep you informed."

Players who are activated off short-term injured reserve have a 21-day window to return to the active roster. They must return to injured reserve if they are not active by the conclusion of that window.

NFL Sunday, October 01, 2023