Rams Defensive Line Decimated as Poona Ford and Kobie Turner Go Down

The Los Angeles Rams' defensive line just got hit with the kind of injury report that makes defensive coordinators stare blankly at a wall for the rest of the afternoon. According to Adam Schefter, defensive tackle Poona Ford is done for the year with a ruptured triceps, and Kobie Turner is shelved for four to six weeks with a groin issue.

Losing one starting-caliber defensive tackle is a headache. Losing two on the exact same day is a structural collapse.

"Adam Schefter reported that Poona Ford ruptured his triceps and Kobie Turner will miss 4-6 weeks due to a groin injury."

The timing could not be worse for a Los Angeles Rams squad trying to find its footing. They are coming off back-to-back tight losses to the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals, giving up 37 and 18 points respectively. Ford, a nine-year veteran who anchors the middle at 314 pounds, was supposed to be the immovable object. Turner, a 27-year-old disruptor, was the engine operating right next to him.

Trying to stop an NFL running game without your top two interior linemen is like trying to bail out a sinking boat with a pasta strainer. The math simply does not work, and opposing offensive coordinators know it.

For anyone looking at the betting markets, this is the exact type of unsexy news that swings game totals and rushing props. You cannot lose this much mass and experience up front without opposing offenses immediately circling your defense on the schedule and planning to run the ball down your throat.

Los Angeles now has to patch together a defensive front from the waiver wire and practice squad just to survive the next month. If they cannot find a way to plug the middle immediately, the upcoming schedule is going to look less like a football season and more like a track meet.