Editor’s note: This is the Tuesday, Nov. 15 edition of the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

Good morning. This shapes up as a big day for the Rams. Coach Sean McVay will speak with reporters for the first time since wide receiver Cooper Kupp hurt an ankle in the Rams’ latest loss. He should reveal when the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year is expected to play again, and thus whether fans have anything to look forward to in 2022.

In other news:

In a fall for a one-time Dodgers star, Yasiel Puig agreed to plead guilty to lying to federal officials about illegal sports bets.
Paul George led the Clippers to a rout in Houston.
UCLA is 3-0 after Jaylen Clark’s career high.
The Kings’ winning streak ended at four games in Calgary.
And the banged-up Chargers are trying to get ready to face the Chiefs on Sunday night.

Assuming Kupp’s right ankle injury in the 27-17 loss to the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium will keep the Rams’ top offensive weapon out for at least several weeks, it will be fascinating to see how McVay tries to adjust an offense that already has slumped from one of the NFL’s best in the Super Bowl championship season to one of its worst this year.

Sometimes emergencies bring out McVay’s best ideas.

Last November, the Rams’ chances of winning the Super Bowl looked as remote during a three-game losing streak as their chances of making the playoffs do now when they’re 3-6 and last in the NFC West.

With quarterback Matthew Stafford struggling with interceptions a year ago, McVay reverted to the ground game by setting up six-man offensive lines and getting the ball to his top healthy running back.

Sony’s 121-yard, one-touchdown game in a romp over the Jaguars started a five-game, 497-yard stretch for him and a five-game winning streak that carried the Rams to the division title.

Michel is gone – to the Chargers – Cam Akers was gone for three games in a dispute with McVay, presumably over his usage or lack of it, and the running game is the least productive in the league, the injury-riddled offensive line a big reason.

But there were signs of life in the Cardinals game.

Fifth-round draft pick Kyren Williams is healthy, and gained nine yards on his first carry of the season. Starter Darrell Henderson and Akers started the game strong. Five different ballcarriers accounted for most of the Rams’ yards on a drive to a 3-0 lead.

Then they stopped running. Even with John Wolford at quarterback while Matthew Stafford was in the concussion protocol, they threw or tried to throw on 11 of the next 13 plays, leading to three punts, a lost fumble and a 17-3 deficit at halftime.

As our Gilbert Manzano and others (the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue) pointed out, the success came during the Rams’ scripted plays at the beginning of the game.

Maybe there’s no way to sustain a ground game with the offensive line in bad shape (ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop calls the line’s health the Rams’ X factor for the rest of the season). But it’s worth a try this Sunday against a below-average Saints run defense in New Orleans.

Getting the Rams back on their feet isn’t just about getting their heads on straight. It also requires McVay using his talent for trying new and risky things.

Even if, in the case of the running game, it’s an old and successful thing.

TODAY

Clippers wrap up a quick two-game trip against the Mavericks in Dallas (5:30 p.m., BSSC).
Ducks try to salvage a win from their four-game homestand when they face the Red Wings (7 p.m., BSW). Preview.
USC’s men’s basketball team hosts Vermont (8 p.m., Pac12N), which comes off a double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton. Preview.

NEXT QUESTION

Should World Cup players from the United States and other countries demonstrate opposition to host Qatar’s human-rights shortcomings?  Respond by email ([email protected]) or on Twitter (@KevinModesti).

280 CHARACTERS

Whittier College is apparently dropping its football program. Small college teams in Southern California are nearly a thing of the past. So sad. Just a few years ago, Azusa Pacific shut its program down. https://t.co/xirICc3X6e

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) November 14, 2022

– Reporter Fred Robledo (@SGVNSports) tweeting about yesterday’s news, which comes after Azusa Pacific University and Occidental College both canceled football in 2020.

1,000 WORDS

No look: Clippers guard Reggie Jackson, who had a team-high six assists, passes past Rockets guard Jalen Green during L.A.’s win in Houston last night. Photo is by AP’s Eric Christian Smith.

TALK TO ME

Thanks for reading the newsletter. Send suggestions, comments and questions by email at [email protected] and via Twitter @KevinModesti.

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