Rams special teams woes continue: Kicker Blake Grupe placed on injured reserve after knee injury

Grupe suffered the injury while making a tackle on a kickoff

Oct 19, 2026 at 4:59 pm ET • 1 min read

The Los Angeles Rams' kicking conundrum continued into Week 6, but not in the way you'd expect. 

After cutting former placekicker Harrison Mevis after Week 5, L.A. seemingly found its solution after signing Blake Grupe to assume the kicking duties. The former Notre Dame kicker made his Rams debut on Sunday and quickly endeared himself to his new squad by netting a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter. 

However, things went downhill after that. Grupe left the game early after suffering a knee injury on a kickoff. On Monday, the Rams placed him on injured reserve, leaving them once again looking for a kicker. Head coach Sean McVay said Grupe tore his ACL.

Grupe suffered the injury while making a tackle on the kickoff following his made field goal. He was seen lowering his shoulder to hit returner Devin Duvernay and came down awkwardly. 

With Grupe sidelined, the entire kicking operation was reshuffled. Punter Ethan Evans served as the kicker. He only attempted one kicker, a successful extra point after the Rams' fourth-quarter touchdown. 

However, otherwise, Los Angeles was hesitant to use Evans. After Matthew Stafford connected with Blake Corum for a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter, they kept the offense on the field for a two-point attempt, which failed. Then, when they were at the Arizona 27-yard line and faced with a fourth-and-1, Los Angeles went for it, but turned the ball over on downs. 

Grupe entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2023, initially signing with the Saints. He played for New Orleans until midway through the 2025 season, when he was released. After that, he made stops with the Colts and Jets before finding his way to the Rams. Coming into this game, Grupe had converted 81.9% of his career field goals (86-of-105) and 98% of his extra points (96-of-98). 

The kicking game has been an issue throughout the first half of the season for the Rams, and it came to a head during Monday's overtime loss to the Bills. Mevis failed to convert on either of his field goal attempts, including what would've been a game-winner, which was blocked. That forced Los Angeles' hand to make a change in favor of Grupe, but this latest injury keeps them in a kicking nightmare.