LOS ANGELES _ With Pro Bowl kicker Greg Zuerlein sidelined because of a groin injury, the Los Angeles Rams on Monday re-signed Sam Ficken.
Ficken will handle place-kicking duties and kickoffs Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers at the Coliseum.
Zuerlein suffered the injury while warming up Sunday before the Rams' 34-0 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Punter Johnny Hekker pulled double duty, handling place-kicking duties in Zuerlein's absence.
This is the second time in less than a year that the Rams have turned to Ficken in the aftermath of a Zuerlein injury.
Last December, Zuerlein struggled to finish a game at Seattle because of a season-ending back injury that required surgery. Zuerlein was sidelined for the final two regular-season games and a playoff loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Ficken, who played at Penn State, made two of three field-goal attempts and four of five extra points during the regular season, then was successful on both of his field-goal attempts and an extra point against the Falcons.
Zuerlein was on the Rams roster throughout training camp as an insurance policy in case Zuerlein was slow to recover from surgery. He was released after the preseason, when rosters were reduced from 90 to 53 players.
The Rams also placed receiver Mike Thomas on injured reserve because of a groin injury.
