Rams News: Darrell Henderson Missed First Series Against 49ers Due To ‘Breathing Issues’ From Flu

The Los Angeles Rams’ struggles against the San Francisco 49ers continued as they suffered a 31-14 loss at SoFi Stadium to drop to 3-4 on the season.

Similar to recent weeks, the Rams offense got off to a slow start as they went three-and-out on their first offensive drive of the game. Ronnie Rivers surprisingly received the start at running back and rushed up the middle for no gain on the first offensive play.

Darrell Henderson, the usual starter, did not see the field until the Rams’ second offensive drive that ended with Matthew Stafford rushing for a touchdown.

Rams head coach Sean McVay explained after the game that Henderson missed the first series due to breathing trouble that stemmed from a bout with the flu earlier in the week, via Greg Beacham of The Associated Press:

Darrell Henderson was “having some breathing issues to start the game” with some aftereffects of his flu, so that’s why Ronnie Rivers was the Rams’ first ball-carrier yesterday, Sean McVay says.

— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) October 31, 2022

Henderson missed practice last Wednesday and was a limited participant the following day due to his illness. While his status for Sunday’s matchup against the 49ers was never in question, he wound up getting just six touches compared to Rivers’ 12.

However, Henderson was on the field for 41% of the Rams’ offensive snaps, which bested Rivers’ 36% mark. All-in-all, Henderson rushed for 14 yards on four carries and caught two passes for an additional 16 yards through the air.