Rams kicker Blake Grupe doubtful to return with knee injury after tackle on kickoff vs. Cardinals

Rams kicker Blake Grupe — who replaced the struggling Harrison Mevis just this week — is doubtful to return to Sunday's game against the Cardinals after suffering a knee injury while attempting a tackle on his first kickoff coverage.

Grupe had already connected on a 44-yard field goal earlier in the game, but when the Rams' kick-coverage unit broke down on a return by Devin Duvernay, Grupe was forced to make the tackle near midfield. He went down with a knee injury and has not returned to the field. Punter Ethan Evans was seen practicing kicks into the net on the sideline as the Rams prepared for the possibility of Grupe being done for the day.

The Rams' special teams have been a sore spot all season. The team parted ways with Mevis after he missed two kicks against the Bills, and Sean McVay acknowledged the kicking instability as an ongoing concern. Sunday's game immediately demonstrated the ripple effect: after Blake Corum scored on a 15-yard screen pass — the first receiving touchdown of his career — the Rams went for a two-point conversion rather than trust an emergency fill-in for the extra point, and Matthew Stafford was strip-sacked on the attempt.

The Cardinals and Rams were tied 9-9 at halftime with Grupe's absence forcing Los Angeles to adapt its red-zone play-calling on the fly.