Rams offensive tackle Joe Noteboom and tight end Tyler Higbee were placed on the injured list Friday.
The move was expected in the case of Higbee, who has not practiced since being injured in the NFC championship game. Noteboom practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday, but did not participate on Friday.
Running back Darrell Henderson and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day didn’t have any setbacks. Rams coach Sean McVay said the two will be activated after coming off the disabled list.
Friday’s work was done under mild conditions. The wind that was problematic earlier in the week and forced McVay to move practice to the Rose Bowl on Thursday was not a factor.
“Great!” McVay said. “The weather cooperated with us. Everything is settling in at the right time.”
With the final hours leading up to the matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, McVay summed it up for his players.
“Do your last prep, but trust your prep,” McVay said. “Trust your process. Trust yourself and your teammates. He understands that we have very little time until the kickoff. It’s great to be a little excited about it, just feel the moment.”
The Bengals closed out their final practice with work in the red zone.
For most of their final work Friday at Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus, the Bengals stayed inside the 20-yard line as Joe Burrow threw passes to his wide receivers and tight ends. Then they did work with the special teams, ending with a midfield meeting.
“We just try to follow our routine the best way we can,” trainer Zac Taylor said. “That is the routine that our players know. We finished in the red zone and there will be about 50 hours left before the start of the game and from now on it will all be mental work”.
Friday’s light, trimmed-down work for the Bengals was one of the last tune-ups before the team heads to SoFi Stadium on Sunday morning. And after two weeks of putting together the game plan and refining it through practice and meetings, Taylor is confident his team is focused and ready. He believes the past two weeks of practices, which began at the University of Cincinnati and ended in Los Angeles, have been two of the best of the entire season.
“I feel great,” he said. “I feel like they’re focused on the right things. The only thing that matters is winning and feeling like we came out of practice in the right place.”
Part of Taylor’s confidence is related to the fact that tight end CJ Uzomah practiced for the second day in a row and is on track to play Sunday, Taylor said. Everyone else on campus is ready to play.