Robert Woods Feels the Support of Teammates During Rams' Playoff Run Despite Watching From a Distance

Robert Woods shares what the last three months have been like as he remains sidelined following an ACL injury.

Nicholas Cothrel | Feb 9, 2022

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Los Angeles Rams

LOS ANGELES – It's been nearly three months since wide receiver Robert Woods suffered an ACL tear in practice.

As he remains sidelined, the Rams find themselves knocking on the door of a potential Super Bowl LVI victory as Woods is forced to watch from a distance.

Woods also

As difficult as it's been for Woods to observe each game without being able to make any difference in the outcome, he says the support group from his teammates has been extraordinary.

"I feel like the team has been really, really big on like 'You're a part of this, you're a part of this, you're a part of this,'" Woods told reporters Tuesday on a video conference call. "Initially, you're fresh out of being injured, fresh out of surgery and you're like 'Man, I was just doing that a few weeks ago.

"But really, I feel like I was able to get past that and able to really enjoy this whole playoff experience."

Woods has been an instrumental piece to the Rams offense for the last five seasons. And his role went beyond just what the stat sheet would indicate. Woods takes pride in his willing ability to assist in the run game, engaging as a run-blocker to open up holes for the team's rushers to presumably break free.

While Woods' unexpected injury occurred just days before the Rams headed to San Francisco in Week 10 to face the 49ers, it also was on the day that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. showed up to the team facility for the first time upon signing with the team following his release from the Browns.

Surely, Woods and Beckham operate in a different way in terms of their makeup. But Beckham has stepped into the No. 2 role accordingly, ending the regular season with five touchdowns across seven starts in a Rams uniform.

Woods, when asked how he's viewed the Rams' wide receiver group without him in the fold, said he's been impressed.

"I wouldn't say replace me," Woods said with a big grin on his face. "We're gonna take that replace word out. But I think they've been looking really good."

As the Rams gear up for Sunday's showdown, there are just a few players still on the roster that accumulated Super Bowl experience when L.A. fell short on the big stage three seasons ago. Woods being one of them, he knows the feeling of what it's like to enter a game of this magnitude.

"We were really excited to beat New Orleans, and I think the team was really, really composed after this win (over the 49ers)," Woods said when reflecting on the Rams' NFC Championship win from 2018 in comparison to this season.

The Rams have yet to win a Super Bowl while calling Los Angeles its home. But as history shows, to be viewed among the cities most desired teams, the market craves winners and the Rams have that opportunity to hoist the Lombardi Trophy if they can win one more game to round out their 2021 season campaign.

"I feel like it's time for us to be part of that history," Woods said. "For new fans growing up, this is how you become their favorite team. This is how you get long, loyal fans. You win trophies."

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.

Published Feb 9, 2022

NICHOLAS COTHREL

Nick Cothrel covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.