The No. 1 goal for any team in any preseason game is to make it through without any injuries, especially long-term ones to key players. The St. Louis Rams had two injuries to key players in their 18-3 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Friday night, but it remains to be seen if either will be long term.
Left guard Rodger Saffold left the game just four plays in with an apparent shoulder injury as he left the game holding his right arm. Linebacker Daren Bates later limped off with an apparent knee injury.
After the game, Rams coach Jeff Fisher offered little in the way of an update on either player.
"I don’t have any information right now on Rodger or Daren," Fisher said. "Daren is sore. Everybody else that left temporarily came back."
Fisher indicated at halftime of the television broadcast that he didn't expect Saffold's injury to be anything too serious but acknowledged after the game that Saffold would need to have some more tests done on Saturday. The Rams can't afford to lose any of their starting offensive linemen for a long stretch, but it's especially true in Saffold's case.
With two rookies projected to start on the right side and a new starter at center, Saffold is by far the team's most experienced lineman. He has 63 career starts under his belt. No matter who wins the starting center job, the most combined NFL starts the other four projected starting linemen could have is 16.
For what it's worth, Saffold had left shoulder surgery in the offseason but the injury he suffered Friday night is to the other shoulder.
As for Bates, one of the team's leaders on special teams, things might be a bit more bleak. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Bates was on crutches in the locker room after the game and would also undergo an MRI on Saturday.
