The Los Angeles Rams season was again thrown into jeopardy for a few hours when it was reported that Puka Nacua left practice due to a knee injury. Shortly after that, Adam Schefter received intel that the knee injury was not serious, a claim that head coach Sean McVay confirmed with reporters yesterday.
On Friday morning ESPN’s Sarah Barshop posted to X.com, “Sean McVay on Puka Nacua’s knee: “Fortunately there’s nothing structurally. He’ll be listed as questionable, but I wouldn’t bet against this guy. My expectation is he’s going to do everything in his power to be ready to roll, and that’s the mindset that we have.”
Nacua was listed as not participating in Friday’s practice and was deemed ‘questionable’ for the Rams’ upcoming game in Seattle against their divisional rival, the Seahawks. As more time passed, additional reporting deemed this third injury to Nacua’s knee was more of ‘a scare,’ per Jourdan Rodrigue.
Rams WR, Puka Nacua Expected To Play Vs Seattle
On Saturday morning, additional reports are pointing toward Nacua playing, this time from The Athletic’s Diana Russini, who, based on information obtained, now expects Nacua to play.
What hasn’t been confirmed is the extent to which Nacua will be involved in the Rams game plan. They used him on 57 percent of the team’s offensive snaps last week against the Minnesota Vikings after a seven-week stint on the injured reserve. Last season, he averaged 87 percent of snaps.
He initially injured his knee during a joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers. The injury, which affected his bursa sac, occurred during training camp. He then strained his PCL in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions — he was placed on the IR shortly thereafter. Those injuries did not require a procedure.
According to further reporting from Ms. Rodrigue, this injury is to the same knee. It is unclear if it is a new injury or another re-aggravation.
Nacua’s return, along with Cooper Kupp returning from a high ankle sprain, was the spark the team needed on offense to put up 30 points for the first time this season. Before that, they had averaged in the teens. Nacua caught seven of nine targets for 106 yards, including a 21-yard gain.
