Los Angeles Rams rookie running back Cam Akers will not play in his team’s pivotal road game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters that a high-ankle sprain will sideline Akers, who sustained the injury in Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the New York Jets.

“He is a war daddy,” McVay said Monday. “But he is going to be out for at least the next week or so.”

Akers, 21, initially was injured in the second quarter versus the Jets. He returned to the game and finished with 15 carries for 63 yards.

Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown will see an uptick in workload in the absence of Akers, who more than doubled his previous career high with 171 rushing yards in Los Angeles’ 24-3 win over New England on Dec. 10.

Akers leads the team in rushing yards (591). Henderson has rushed for 562 yards and is tied with Brown with five rushing touchdowns.

The Rams (9-5) will battle the Seahawks (10-4) for ownership of first place in the NFC West on Sunday. Los Angeles owns the tiebreaker by virtue of its 23-16 victory over Seattle on Nov. 15.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay plans to employ a three-man rotation at running back for the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

McVay said he is “optimistic” that Darrell Henderson will be ready to join rookie Cam Akers and Malcolm Brown in the backfield. Henderson is dealing with a hamstring injury.

“If he is (healthy), that’s a three-back rotation that you feel really good about,” McVay said Monday, via the Los Angeles Daily News. “Exactly how those carries will be distributed is something we’ll determine really as the week progresses and as the game unfolds.”

The Rams are in a transition after workhorse running back Todd Gurley signed with the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason. Gurley was released by the Rams after a steep drop-off in production in 2019 and questions about the health of his arthritic left knee.

The Rams selected Akers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Akers, 21, finished his Florida State career with 2,875 rushing yards, which ranked sixth on the school’s all-time rushing list. He scored 34 combined touchdowns, including 27 rushing.

As a junior last season, Akers rushed for a career-high 1,144 yards and 14 touchdowns on 231 attempts (5.0-yard average), earning second-team All-ACC honors. He also posted career highs in catches (30), receiving yards (225), and TD receptions (four).

Henderson, 23, had 39 carries for 147 yards in 13 games during his rookie season. He was selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Brown, 27, had career-high totals in carries (69), rushing yards (255) and touchdowns (five) in 14 games last season.

–Field Level Media