RAMS WR PUKA NACUA PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE, SET TO MISS NEXT FOUR WEEKS WITH PCL INJURY
Los Angeles Rams superstar wide receiver Puka Nacua aggravated his knee sprain from earlier last month on Sunday night during the team’s 26-20 loss to the Detroit Lions and will now be placed on injured reserve, Rams Head Coach Sean McVay told reporters on Monday.
The injury is listed as a posterior cruciate ligament injury on his right knee. Nacua won’t require surgery on the knee, just rest and rehab, said McVay. The rookie receiving yards record holder is set to miss a minimum of four weeks and could return to playing action as soon as Week 7, on October 20th against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Puka got a PCL sprain, probably will be a candidate to go on IR,” said McVay about Nacua. “Gutsy, [he] was all over the field, was what we needed just based off of the circumstances. There was a lot of opportunities to be able to stretch people vertically but the situation didn’t enable that.”
“He had 14 targets, did a good job competing without the ball, effected and influenced coverage. I think just his demeanor and his disposition throughout the game, some of the things that he was doing in between series, with the guys that did have to step up, I can’t say enough about what he means to our football team. I thought he was excellent, he gave us a chance to be able to come away with a win.”
Nacua appeared to sustain the injury in the second quarter of the game at Ford Field after making a 6-yard catch on a 3rd & 10 play. The former BYU Cougar briefly returned before halftime and finally had to exit the game again to meet with the team’s medical staff. Nacua was able to walk on the sideline but left the game on a cart. He didn’t return for the second half.
The Rams’ next four games include a matchup at Arizona, vs. San Francisco, at Chicago, and vs. Green Bay. Los Angeles has a Week 6 bye. As reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Nacua’s injury is newer and more significant to the same ligament he injured during training camp.
One of the Rams’ key offensive players, Nacua burst onto the scene with a one-of-a-kind rookie season last year, breaking both rookie receiving yards and rookie reception records in an incredibly productive debut campaign. The 2023 fifth-round pick finished the year with 105 catches for 1,486 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns on the way to earning a second-team All-Pro selection. Nacua finished second in voting for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year behind Texans’ QB CJ Stroud.
With the star wide receiver out for an extended period of time, quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams will have to lean on Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp, who had a stellar outing in Detroit on Sunday night. Kupp caught 14 passes for 110 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Other players were hurt during the weekend for the Rams include: OL Joe Noteboom who is expected to be out for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain; OL Steve Avila who is also headed to IR with an MCL sprain; CB Coby Durant, who has a toe injury and will be a day-to-day; and RG Kevin Dotson, who was seen leaving the locker room in a boot on Sunday. Dotson is dealing with a lateral ankle sprain and will also be day-to-day.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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