The Aporia · Rams’ kicking curse strikes again as new kicker Blake Grupe gets hurt

Rams’ kicking curse strikes again as new kicker Blake Grupe gets hurt

Read the original at New York Post ↗

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Duarte, M. (2026, October 18). Rams’ kicking curse strikes again as new kicker Blake Grupe gets hurt. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/18/sports/rams-kicker-blake-grupe-suffers-knee-injury-seconds-after-first-field-goal-against-cardinals/

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

Quick Summary

Los Angeles Rams kicker Blake Grupe suffered a knee injury just moments after successfully kicking a 44-yard field goal against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. This incident follows a trend where recent kickers have been injured or ineffective due to poor kickoff coverage, leading to Harrison Mevis’s release and Grupe’s signing from the New York Jets’ practice squad only days prior. The Rams are now left with punter Ethan Evans as a potential emergency field goal kicker, marking the franchise’s ninth different kicker since 2020.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-18, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

On October 18, 2026, Blake Grupe, the new Los Angeles Rams kicker signed off the Jets’ practice squad just days earlier to replace Harrison Mevis, injured his knee during a tackle on special teams in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals. The injury occurred when Grupe tackled Devin Duvernay near midfield after a kickoff return, and he was ruled doubtful to return by the team. Grupe had made a 44-yard field goal earlier in the game to give the Rams an early lead of 3-0. With no available kicker, punter Ethan Evans practiced kicks on the sideline but was not used, as the Rams opted for a failed two-point conversion attempt instead of kicking an extra point after their first touchdown later in the second quarter. The injury highlights ongoing issues with the Rams' special teams unit and adds to concerns about consistency in the team's kicking game following multiple recent setbacks.

Written for “Rams Kicker Injury” on 2026-10-18, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 20% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Rams kicker Blake Grupe injures knee vs. Cardinals in first game with new team same event · 100%

Toronto Star · 0.88 cosine similarity

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 12 📰 publisher trust 63

“Both articles describe the identical incident of Blake Grupe injuring his knee during a game between the Rams and the Arizona Cardinals on October 18, 2026.”

Rams shed 100 pounds at kicker, but special teams problems still weigh ton different event · 85%

New York Post

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 2% hedged 1 of 44 📰 publisher trust 67

“While both articles discuss Blake Grupe replacing Harrison Mevis as kicker for the Rams, ARTICLE A is about the signing change and shift in team dynamics, while ARTICLE B focuses on an injury incident during a specific game.”

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

20%

3 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

67/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Sports

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Michael Duarte

68 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 At this point, somebody might want to check whether the Los Angeles Rams’ special teams unit was built on an ancient burial ground.

2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Rams’ kicking curse strikes again as new kicker Blake Grupe gets hurt

🔮 On Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, the veteran offensive tackle will suddenly become one of the most important men on the field, entrusted with protecting Matthew Stafford’s blind side in a must-win NFC West showdown against the Cardinals.

2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Meet Rams forgotten veteran suddenly tasked with protecting Matthew Stafford

🔮 Sitting inside LaFleur’s head is a treasure trove of intelligence on the Rams that would make any CIA operative jealous.

2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Mike LaFleur knows all Rams secrets, but can Sean McVay outsmart former pupil?

🔮 And Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium will provide an immediate test of whether this latest overhaul represents actual progress or simply another rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic.

2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Rams shed 100 pounds at kicker, but special teams problems still weigh ton

🔮 Hindoyan, who will conduct Georges Bizet’s Carmen at LA Opera from Oct. 17 through Nov. 7, invited Turner and his family to attend the production in downtown Los Angeles.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Rams ‘Conductor’ finally meets his match — and gets a surprise he’ll never forget

🔮 Now, even elementary school kids in Wisconsin are getting their shots in and trolling the reigning champs. Less than 24 hours after the Brewers completed their stunning four-game sweep of the two-time defending World Series champions, a young Milwaukee fan showed up to his school’s Halloween party Friday dressed as a battered Dodgers player. Complete with a Dodgers uniform, baseball pants and fake blood, the youngster delivered the punchline with the kind of comedic timing that would make a professional stand-up comedian jealous. “Ow, I got beat up by the Brewers,” the boy proclaimed in a hilarious video posted to Instagram by his mother, Alexa Dobry.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Young Brewers fan trolls Dodgers with savage Halloween costume after humiliating NLCS sweep

🔮 Unfortunately for Garrett, there was nothing he could do to stop the Dodgers’ bullpen from getting battered on Thursday night.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Myles Garrett’s stunned reaction to Dodgers’ epic NLCS meltdown says it all

🔮 His Rams suffered a gut-wrenching 37-34 overtime loss to Buffalo on Monday Night Football, watched another potential victory disappear amid special teams failures and then learned starting left tackle Alaric Jackson would be suspended for punching Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb after the game.

2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Sean McVay reveals Mike Tomlin’s NSFW advice about coaching in NFL

🔮 Somebody might want to tell Miguel Rojas that it’s not a good idea to get ahead of yourself when it comes to winning championships.

2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Did Miguel Rojas jinx the Dodgers? His bold World Series cleats are aging terribly

🔮 Chourio couldn’t stop smiling throughout the ordeal, providing one of the funniest moments of the postseason.

2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Praying mantis refuses to leave Jackson Chourio alone in hilarious NLCS moment

Also by Michael Duarte

Meet Rams forgotten veteran suddenly tasked with protecting Matthew Stafford

2026-10-18 · New York Post

Mike LaFleur knows all Rams secrets, but can Sean McVay outsmart former pupil?

2026-10-18 · New York Post

Rams shed 100 pounds at kicker, but special teams problems still weigh ton

2026-10-17 · New York Post

Rams ‘Conductor’ finally meets his match — and gets a surprise he’ll never forget

2026-10-16 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 68 articles by Michael Duarte →

Narrative

Claims (15 extracted, 3 hedged)

At this point, somebody might want to check whether the Los Angeles Rams’ special teams unit was built on an ancient burial ground. uncertain

unit → want → ground

Because whatever curse has been haunting the Rams’ kicking game apparently followed their newest kicker straight onto the field Sunday afternoon. asserted

curse → haunt → field

Blake Grupe, making his Rams debut after replacing Harrison Mevis earlier this week, drilled a 44-yard field goal to give Los Angeles an early 3-0 lead over the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. asserted

Grupe → make → Stadium

Seconds later, he was being helped off the field with a knee injury. asserted

he → help → injury

You can’t make this stuff up. asserted

You → make → stuff

On the ensuing kickoff, Arizona returner Devin Duvernay broke through the Rams’ coverage unit, leaving Grupe as the last line of defense between him and the end zone. asserted

Duvernay → ensue → him

The 5-foot-7, 150-pound kicker managed to force Duvernay out of bounds, saving a potential touchdown. asserted

kicker → manage → touchdown

Unfortunately, he injured his knee making the tackle and subsequently headed to the locker room with trainers. asserted

he → injure → trainers

The Rams listed him as doubtful to return. asserted

Rams → list → him

For the second consecutive game, Los Angeles’ kickoff coverage was so poor that its kicker was forced to make a touchdown-saving tackle. asserted

kicker → force → tackle

Last Monday against Buffalo, it was the 6-foot-1, 250-plus-pound Mevis, nicknamed the “Thiccer Kicker,” who pushed the Bills’ returner out of bounds on the opening kickoff. asserted

who → nickname → kickoff

Mevis subsequently missed two field goals, including a potential overtime game-winner, prompting the Rams to release him Tuesday and sign Grupe off the New York Jets’ practice squad. asserted

Mevis → miss → squad

Now, after one successful kick, his replacement might be sidelined too. uncertain

replacement → sideline → kick

Rams punter Ethan Evans was spotted practicing field goals on the sideline and could be pressed into emergency duty. uncertain

Evans → spot → duty

If he attempts one, Evans would become the franchise’s ninth different field goal kicker since 2020. asserted

Evans → attempt → 2020

Rams’ kicking curse strikes again as new kicker Blake Grupe gets hurt

Quick Summary

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Claims (15 extracted, 3 hedged)