Rams place starting left tackle on COVID-19 list

The Los Angeles Rams have added left tackle Andrew Whitworth to the COVID-19/reserve list ahead of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced on Saturday.

In other COVID-19 news, the Rams activated safety Jordan Fuller and tight end Tyler Highbee from the COVID-19 list. Since a Week 14 outbreak, the Rams have had nearly 30 players in protocols at some point.

The Rams head to Minneapolis on Sunday, where the Vikings have been very good at home. They are 7-7 this season, but they are 4-2 at home.

Los Angeles is currently second in the NFC West with a 10-4 record behind the rival Arizona Cardinals. If the playoffs started today, they would be the No. 5 seed in the NFC. A win on Sunday would clinch a playoff berth for the fourth time in head coach Sean McVay’s five-year tenure with the team.

Rams-Vikings kicks off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Fox. The Rams are a 3.5-point road favorite, and the game has an over/under of 49.

Whitworth recently made NFL history

Whitworth’s constant presence on the offensive line isn’t the only impressive feat he has achieved in recent years. The 40 year old made history on Dec. 14 when he became the oldest player to ever start an NFL game at left tackle. His birthday is Dec. 12.

The Louisiana native played college football at LSU, and he won a national title on the Saban-coached Tigers team in 2003. The offensive lineman was second-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006. He was in Cincinnati from 2006-2016, and he has been with the Rams since 2017.

In total, Whitworth has started 233 of the 237 games in which he has played, including starting every game since he arrived in Los Angeles. He has started 16 games in 10 seasons during his career. Whitworth is a four-time Pro Bowler, receiving the honor in 2012 and from 2015-2017.

He suffered a career-threatening MCL tear last season, but he returned very quickly — roughly a month after the injury.