Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell was a healthy inactive for the Divisional Round, and that could be the case for the NFC Championship as well.
Heading into the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Los Angeles Rams were mostly healthy. That is why it was a shock when the inactive list came out, and wide receiver Tutu Atwell was among the players sidelined for the matchup against the Chicago Bears.
Atwell had not appeared on the injury report previously, and being a healthy scratch was a little odd.
With the NFC Championship coming up, it will be all hands on deck once again, but Atwell may be heading to be inactive once again. Rams head coach Sean McVay was asked why Atwell was ruled out, and if that could be the case again this Sunday.
"When you're talking about the amount of receivers, those guys' abilities to contribute on teams was the simplest approach," McVay said.
With Jordan Whittington returning to the lineup and healthy, it appears that McVay made the decision to keep him on the roster, along with rookie Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith.
Whittington made the most of his return, picking up two receptions for 35 yards and two returns for 39 yards.
Though McVay did not outright say that Atwell might be ruled out for the NFC Championship, it seemed a bit that it could end up happening that way.
"I don't know that. We have to see exactly what our 48 looks like. There's some flexibility and fluidity. That was more of a team's kind of thing. Once we really dive into the prep and figure out what these gameplans are for each side of the football. That will really affect the decision-making. Tutu did a great job throughout the course of a week and was a total stud about it. It hasn't been ideal, but sometimes it comes down to the numbers thing. The kicking game has something to do with that," McVay said.
It could be that Atwell's contribution on special teams has not been great or useful, leading to McVay sitting him for the other receivers in that stacked room. There is no telling what the roster may look like following this week of preparation, but it does sound like the receiver understood why he was a healthy scratch.
Thus far, there are no major Rams injuries that McVay expressed concern over. Linebacker Byron Young and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. are the only two players who will have an injury designation.
Both are also likely to play, and that would likely not lead to a roster spot for Atwell, if that is McVay's plan for the NFC Championship.