Cam Akers tore his Achilles in July, but the Los Angeles Rams have "cautious optimism" that the running back could return if the team makes the playoffs.

The Denver Broncos have acquired linebacker Kenny Young in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.

Denver sent Los Angeles a 2024 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for Young and a 2024 seventh-round pick.

Young is the second linebacker the Broncos have acquired in the past three days to go with Saturday's trade with the Minnesota Vikings to acquire Stephen Weatherly.

The Los Angeles Rams expected Matthew Stafford to be good, but Sean McVay says the quarterback has been even better than he thought he'd be after coming over in a trade with the Detroit Lions.

"He has been better than I thought, and I thought he was going to be really good," McVay said. "I've been really impressed with his body of work and his resume over the course of his career. I think he’s doing a great job. I think the best players elevate those around them. I think guys are playing better around him. I think he’s seeing the field really well."

Stafford has a career-high 69.5 percent completion rate, a career-high 9.2 yards per pass and a career-high 116.6 passer rating. The Rams are also 5-1.

Jared Goff is "motivated" as the Detroit Lions prepare to face off against the Los Angeles Rams this weekend at SoFi Stadium.

"To sum it up, it'll be fun to see all those people and it'll be fun to be there. Of course, you're motivated. Of course, you have the chip on your shoulder. I've spoken about that," Goff said. "There was some disrespect felt towards the end, there was some sourness there towards the end and you still feel that, you still have that chip on your shoulder, but at the same time, when the game starts, if I let any of that come into how I'm gonna play the game, it'll be selfish.

"And I'm gonna play the game just how I would any other game and to be honest, I'm not worried about feeling some type of way, once the game starts," he added. "I really don't."

The Rams traded Goff to the Lions for Matthew Stafford this offseason in a deal that the quarterback said went down with no communication.

Sean McVay is expressing regret over how the Jared Goff trade went down as the Los Angeles Rams prepare to face the Detroit Lions.

"Yes, I wish there was better, clearer communication," McVay said. "To say that it was perfectly handled on my end, I wouldn't be totally accurate in that. I'll never claim to be perfect, but I will try to learn from some things that I can do better, and I think that was one of them without a doubt."

The Rams are 5-1 heading into the game with the winless Lions.

"I think he'll be received well," McVay said about Goff's return to L.A., where he spent five seasons after the Rams traded up 15 spots to select him first overall in 2016. "I think the L.A. fans and I think the Rams fans know what a great job he had done and how much -- I think how much he meant to the Rams organization both as a football player and also the community."