Rams place OT Andrew Whitworth on COVID-19 list

On Christmas morning, the Los Angeles Rams and their fans got a bit of a lump of coal in their stockings just 24 hours before their matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis.

The Rams have announced that they have placed their starting left tackle, Andrew Whitworth, on their COVID-19 list. It’s worth noting that their backup at that spot, Joe Noteboom, is also on the COVID list, so the Rams could be rolling into U.S. Bank Stadium tomorrow with a third-string left tackle protecting Matthew Stafford’s blind side.

Whitworth is the second-oldest player in the National Football League (only Tom Brady is older), and earlier this season became the first player in league history to start a game at left tackle at age 40 or older. He’s been very good for a very long time, and his loss is a significant one as the Rams prepare to face a Vikings’ defense that leads the NFL in sacks and has continued to get after opposing quarterbacks even in the absence of pass rushers Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen.

If both Whitworth and Noteboom are out for tomorrow’s game, the left tackle spot in tomorrow’s game would be manned by Tremayne Anchrum Jr., according to the Rams’ depth chart. Anchrum was a seventh-round pick of the Rams in the 2020 NFL Draft and spent a few weeks on injured reserve earlier this season. He has appeared in 12 games for the Rams with no starts.

We hope that Andrew Whitworth has a quick recovery from his bout with COVID-19, but for now this could be a significant break for the Vikings in what is their latest “must-win” game of the 2021 NFL season.