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Rams kicker Blake Grupe injures knee vs. Cardinals in first game with new team

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Cite

Greenspan, D. (2026, October 18). Rams kicker Blake Grupe injures knee vs. Cardinals in first game with new team. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/rams-kicker-blake-grupe-injures-knee-vs-cardinals-in-first-game-with-new-team/article_42b72962-1029-5757-8ef8-39d29adb7b29.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-18 · by Dan Greenspan

Quick Summary

Blake Grupe, who was signed by the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday to replace Harrison Mevis, injured his knee during a tackle while playing special teams against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The injury occurred just five minutes into the game when Grupe tackled Devin Duvernay after a 40-yard kickoff return. Before getting hurt, Grupe successfully made a 44-yard field goal early in the first quarter. The Rams are now considering alternative options for kicking duties, with Ethan Evans practicing on the sideline and attempting a two-point conversion instead of an extra point following a touchdown due to Grupe’s absence.
Written by AI on 2026-10-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Blake Grupe, the newly signed kicker for the Los Angeles Rams, tore his ACL during Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, resulting in him being placed on injured reserve by head coach Sean McVay. Grupe was hurt while attempting to tackle Devin Duvernay after making a 44-yard field goal early in the first quarter of their 18-16 loss. The injury marks another setback for the Rams' special teams, who had already released Harrison Mevis due to poor performance against the Buffalo Bills just days earlier.

Written for “Rams Kicker Injury Curse” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Rams Kicker Injury Curse
Sports · 4 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Rams special teams takes another massive hit with tragic injury news to newly-signed kicker Same event
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Hedges 1 of 8 claims Outlet record 66/100
Rams kicker Blake Grupe knocks himself out of his debut with a disastrous tackle attempt Same event
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Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 68/100
Rams’ kicking curse strikes again as new kicker Blake Grupe gets hurt Same event
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
Rams get disheartening Myles Garrett news after slew of injuries to stars Different event
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Hedges 2 of 12 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes Blake Grupe's injury during his first game with the Rams against the Arizona Cardinals, while Article B discusses Myles Garrett's absence due to an unrelated injury.”
Rams shed 100 pounds at kicker, but special teams problems still weigh ton Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 44 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses the signing of Blake Grupe as a replacement kicker for Harrison Mevis, while Article B reports on an injury sustained by Blake Grupe in his first game with the Rams against the Arizona Cardinals.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
12
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 12 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Dan Greenspan
28 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “I feel for the defense, I feel for the team, and nobody feels worse.” Coach Jim Harbaugh said McDaniel will continue to oversee the offense, which came in as the lowest-scoring unit in the NFL at 15 points per game and only meaningfully threatened to reach the end zone on a Hail Mary throw from Herbert at the end of the first half.
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · Chargers' reeling offense offers up more of the same coming out of bye week
🔮 Veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks will be called up from the practice squad in Landman’s absence.
2026-10-23 · assertive framing · WR Puka Nacua and CB Trent McDuffie are questionable vs. Raiders as Rams' injuries pile up
🔮 And if the problem is solely about scheme, there would be limited options to replace McDaniel, who was hired in January.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Jim Harbaugh looking for answers in all aspects of the Chargers' struggling offense
🔮 Turning to Ethan as the kicker would necessitate additional changes to the operation since he’s the regular holder.
2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Rams kicker Blake Grupe injures knee vs. Cardinals in first game with new team
🔮 At 0-5 and with no signs of help on the way, it doesn’t look like things will be getting easier for Herbert any time soon.
2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Justin Herbert seems no longer able to elevate Chargers' inept and injured offense
🔮 Allen is decidedly less enjoyable to try to defend, as the other side of the ball for the Rams (2-2) will have to do in their showdown with the Bills (3-1) on Monday night.
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · Bills' 'one-of-a-kind' Josh Allen offers challenge for Rams' defensive progress on Monday night
🔮 He also showed his typical toughness in run blocking, helping pave the way for another strong performance by running back Kyren Williams as he scored twice in the final four minutes to give Los Angeles a potentially season-salvaging victory.
2026-10-05 · assertive framing · Puka Nacua shows he's still the catalyst of the Rams' offense in comeback win after injury absence
🔮 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Donald will miss the Rams’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday because of a sore back, while Puka Nacua will return after missing two games because of a hip and groin injury.
2026-10-02 · assertive framing · Aaron Donald out, Puka Nacua returns for Rams' game against Eagles on Sunday
🔮 After coach Sean McVay put a heightened emphasis on addressing those issues, including bringing in a new special teams coordinator, upgrading personnel and devoting more time to the unit, the progress of that newfound commitment will be tested in a return visit to eastern Pennsylvania on Sunday.
2026-10-02 · assertive framing · Rams' special teams progress will be tested in Philly after Eagles blocked 2 field goals last year
🔮 McVay expressed optimism Nacua could return this week after missing two games because of a hip and groin injury.
2026-09-29 · assertive framing · Injuries are piling up for the slow-starting Rams, but Puka Nacua could return this week
Also by Dan Greenspan
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2026-11-03 · Toronto Star
Chargers' reeling offense offers up more of the same coming out of bye week
2026-11-02 · Toronto Star
Tage Thompson scores twice as Sabres extend road point streak to 7 with 3-2 win over Kings
2026-10-31 · Toronto Star
WR Puka Nacua and CB Trent McDuffie are questionable vs. Raiders as Rams' injuries pile up
2026-10-23 · Toronto Star
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 28 articles by Dan Greenspan →

Topics

Calif. INGLEWOOD Los Angeles Rams Rams the Arizona Cardinals

Subjects

Grupe PERSON · 6× Rams ORG · 5× Evans PERSON · 2× Blake Grupe PERSON · 1× Calif. GPE · 1× Devin Duvernay PERSON · 1× INGLEWOOD GPE · 1× Los Angeles GPE · 1× Los Angeles Rams GPE · 1× the Arizona Cardinals ORG · 1×

Narrative

Punter Ethan Evans worked out on the sideline practicing kicks following Grupe’s injury, but the Rams chose to go for a 2-point conversion — which failed — instead of kicking an extra point following their first touchdown with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-18
🔮 Turning to Ethan as the kicker would necessitate additional changes to the operation since he’s the regular holder.
2026-10-18 · Toronto Star
Rams kicker Blake Grupe injures knee vs. Cardinals in first game with new team · assertive framing

Claims (12 extracted, 0 hedged)

Los Angeles Rams kicker Blake Grupe injured a knee in his first game with his new team Sunday while making a tackle on special teams against the Arizona Cardinals. asserted
Grupe → injure → Cardinals
Grupe was hurt after bringing down Devin Duvernay on a 40-yard kickoff return near midfield just over five minutes into the game. asserted
Grupe → hurt → game
The Rams announced Grupe is doubtful to return to the game. asserted
Grupe → announce → game
Grupe went straight back to the locker room following an evaluation in the blue medical tent. asserted
Grupe → go → tent
Grupe had made a 44-yard field goal to put the Rams up 3-0 with 9:41 left into the first quarter. asserted
Grupe → make → quarter
Los Angeles signed him off the Jets’ practice squad on Tuesday to replace Harrison Mevis, who had a potential winning field goal blocked and missed another in the Rams’ 37-34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. asserted
goal → sign → night
Mevis was 5 of 9 on field goals this season, having made just three of seven attempts from 40 yards or longer. asserted
Mevis → make → yards
Punter Ethan Evans worked out on the sideline practicing kicks following Grupe’s injury, but the Rams chose to go for a 2-point conversion — which failed — instead of kicking an extra point following their first touchdown with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter. asserted
which → work → quarter
Turning to Ethan as the kicker would necessitate additional changes to the operation since he’s the regular holder. asserted
he → turn → operation
Backup quarterback Stetson Bennett worked there with long snapper Joe Cardona and Evans on the sideline during the scoring drive. asserted
Bennett → work → drive
Evans handled the ensuing kickoff, sending it out of the end zone for a touchback. asserted
Evans → handle → touchback
He made all 11 of his field goals in a five-game stint with the Indianapolis Colts last season, having started his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints in 2023. asserted
He → make → 2023
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