Detroit Lions

Theo Riddick Ruled Out For Sunday's Game Against Los Angeles Rams

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:23 a.m. ET

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Oct 9, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions running back Theo Riddick (25) moves against Philadelphia Eagles free safety Rodney McLeod (23) during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Theo Riddick has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams with an ankle injury.

One of the main reasons why the Los Angeles Rams came up on the losing end against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 was due to the defense’s inability to stop the run after allowing LeSean McCoy to rush for 150 yards on just 18 carries.

With a key road matchup against the Detroit Lions scheduled for Sunday, the Rams’ defense realizes how important it will be to stop the run to avoid what happened against the Bills. Luckily, Los Angeles may catch a break on defense now that one of Detroit’s key running backs will be watching from the sidelines.

Theo Riddick has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, which means Justin Forsett will most likely take on more responsibility at running back in the first game with his new team. The veteran joined the Lions this week following his release from the Baltimore Ravens at the beginning of the month, and with Riddick officially out, Forsett finds himself in the perfect opportunity to make an immediate impact.

The loss of Riddick is obviously a huge blow for the Lions on offense when considering he’s one of the most underrated running backs in the league. Even though he’s not always as effective in the ground game, Riddick does most of his damage through the air as he can be extremely dangerous with a simple screen pass.

Unfortunately, the absence of Riddick is going to be the one thing Matthew Stafford misses the most on Sunday. As for Los Angeles, Riddick on the sidelines gives this beat-up defense one less thing to worry about in Week 6 as they look to get back on the winning track.