Jackson still uncertain for Sunday

Star running-back Steven Jackson received a groin injury during Sunday's game against Washington. The injury occurred during the end of the first half. It was concluded that the injury was only a strain, and that Jackson did not tear anything.

Head-Coach Steve Spagnuolo said that Jackson's availability for Sunday's game against Seattle will be determined by the Rams' head trainer Reggie Scott, as well as Jackson himself. The last thing the Rams want to do is force Jackson back too early, which may cause the injury to become more severe.

Whether or not Jackson will play Sunday will likely be a game day decision. However, there were indications that Jackson could be absent from the Rams' line-up for up to two weeks.

HOW WILL THE RAMS RESPOND WITHOUT JACKSON?

The Rams had some success running the ball against Washington without Jackson. It is possible that Washington did not give the proper respect to the Rams' running game, as a result of Jackson being benched; which would explain the Rams' ability to function with back-up Kenneth Darby.

We saw some new looks from the Rams' offense after Jackson left the game. They used a lot of four WR sets, which forced the opposing defense to spread out. They also used a lot of short passes that were meant to simulate some type of running game, one that didn't come from the back-field.

In a way, the absence of Jackson was somewhat helpful for the offense. Usually opposing teams stack eight men in the box to stop the run, which also gives the defense a lot of opportunities to blitz, and create pressure. However, with the multiple WR sets, the defense was spread thin as a result, which relieved some pressure from the opposing pass-rush.

The Rams will likely continue their "spread offense" against Seattle, and hopefully it will be just as effective. But how long can they pull that off before opposing teams learn to game-plan against it? The Rams don't have the talent to overcome a solid defensive game plan from an opposing team. So even though the absence of Jackson resulted in some success, it is still vital that he returns to the line-up. Whether or not the Rams will continue the spread approach after Jackson returns remains to be seen, but it was definitely nice to see the Rams open up the playbook for a change this past Sunday.