LOS ANGELES -- Julian Edelman, the New England Patriots' supremely reliable receiver, tore an ACL in the first quarter of Friday's preseason game.

The next day, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay sat the majority of his starters.

McVay's decision to play it safe might not have been solely influenced by what happened to Edelman, but it was largely motivated by the desire to avoid a debilitating injury in a meaningless preseason game. So on Saturday night, in a matchup against the neighboring Los Angeles Chargers -- for a third preseason game that is usually treated like a regular-season dress rehearsal -- McVay held back nine starters.

Todd Gurley, the Rams' feature back, didn't play. Neither did Cooper Kupp, the starting slot receiver. Or nose tackle Michael Brockers. Or cornerback Kayvon Webster. Or strong safety Maurice Alexander. Or four starting linebackers: Robert Quinn, Connor Barwin, Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron. None of those nine -- and perhaps none of the 22 starters -- figure to play in Thursday's preseason finale at Green Bay, either.

When the regular-season opener comes, against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 10, those nine players will have gone at least 22 days without appearing in a game. Four starters on the Rams' defense -- Barron, Quinn, Webster and Aaron Donald, who continues to hold out -- probably won't end up playing in any preseason contests. Neither will receiver Tavon Austin, who spent the spring recovering from a wrist injury and has spent most of the summer recovering from a hamstring injury.

It's hard to blame McVay for playing it safe at a time of year that is typically ripe for senseless, freak injuries. But there may be some concern on the other side, too, with players not getting enough live game action in their transition to an entirely new coaching staff.

The players will tell you that practice has been enough.

"At the end of the day, we’ve done so much situational stuff at practice," Rams quarterback Jared Goff said after Saturday's 21-19 loss to the Chargers. "I know it’s not the same as a game, but we do so much situational stuff in practice and so much replicating game stuff that we are in that rhythm and that feel."

Goff took snaps against the Chargers after most of the offensive starters had been taken out, but not by much. He played three series, one of which ended in a fumble and another of which ended in an interception. Goff went 19-of-24 for 194 yards and a touchdown in his first two preseason games, looking especially sharp while seeing extended action last Saturday in Oakland. But he went a mere 5-of-8 for 56 yards in what will probably be his final preseason game.

Goff made some impressive plays in his first drive. He connected on a 16-yard pass with Robert Woods, expertly navigated the pocket to find Malcolm Brown for what became a 22-yard catch-and-run, and threw a perfect ball across the middle to Tyler Higbee that drew pass interference.

But then Goff took a snap from the Chargers' 8-yard line and never saw Joey Bosa coming, prompting the strip that allowed Melvin Ingram to scoop up the football and run it in for a touchdown. On his second pass after that play, Goff felt pressure, threw well high of Sammy Watkins -- in what amounted to Watkins' only target of the night -- and produced an ugly interception.

McVay brought up the small sample size, specifically how difficult it is for a quarterback to find a rhythm with so few plays.

Goff, at least, believes he has done enough to prepare for the season.

“Yeah, I think so," Goff said. "I would’ve liked to have finished the day on a little bit of a better note, but I think in all three games as a whole I feel like I did a good job and feel like I got a lot out of it; got some good work and some good situational stuff. A lot to learn from, and a lot of stuff that we can get better from.”

The Rams still have two weeks to figure it out before the start of the regular season. Their first-team offense showed positive signs while playing nearly the entire first half against the Raiders in the second preseason game, but their defense -- converting from a 4-3 to a 3-4 under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips -- has yet to be whole, with four starters not playing in any preseason games. Quinn, Barron and Webster have contributed in practice to varying degrees and could probably have played if Saturday were a game that actually meant something.

"The biggest thing is practice," Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks said. "You need that game experience, but you can get that in practice."

What about Donald, who's still working out on his own?

"That man will get in where he fit in," Westbrooks said. "Nobody's worried about him."

But the Rams have a lot to sort out, which they will now do on their own. Goff and Watkins need to build chemistry. The right side of the offensive line, consisting of guard Jamon Brown and tackle Rob Havenstein, needs to keep improving. And the entire defense needs to put it together. McVay has constantly stressed the need to keep his players healthy for the start of the season, but he admitted that being cautious also triggers concerns about his players' readiness.

“And that’s why it’s very important for us, over the next couple weeks, to make sure that we can try to get those situations, practice, where you limit the risk of injuries that sometimes you have in some of these preseason games," McVay said. "Guys have to understand how to practice. And for the most part, we’ve been really pleased with when we do put the pads on and ramp up the tempo, that we’ve been able to get a lot out of it, while also kind of being mindful of minimizing the risk for injury."