The Los Angeles Rams managed to get in the win column on Monday Night Football after picking up a 28-6 victory over the New York Giants. After struggling mightily against the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams looked more like the team fans were expecting them to be entering the year, even if they got off the hook a bit easily after Jaxson Dart was forced out of the game after the Giants’ first drive with a season-ending knee injury.
Los Angeles wasn’t exactly fully healthy for this game either, as star wide receiver Puka Nacua was ruled out right before kickoff with a hip injury. There’s been some mystery surrounding Nacua’s injury status after he suddenly began trending in the wrong direction midway through last week, which led head coach Sean McVay to clear the air on his situation Wednesday afternoon.
Sean McVay Addresses Puka Nacua’s Injury Status
Nacua endured a rocky offseason, but he managed to get himself on the field for the team’s season opener against the Niners. While Los Angeles’ offense struggled as a whole, Nacua put together the sort of outing you’d come to expect from him, as he caught five passes for 74 yards. That’s not necessarily anything crazy, but even in a down game for the Rams’ offense, Nacua still managed to produce.
Reports emerged last week indicating that Nacua was dealing with a hip injury, and while it wasn’t thought to be anything major at first, his inability to practice hinted at his Week 2 status being up in the air. Sure enough, Nacua was ruled out for the game, but Davante Adams turned back the clock to ensure that he wouldn’t be missed too dearly (8 REC, 195 YDS, 2 TD).
The hope was that, after missing Week 2, Nacua would be able to return to action in Week 3, but he got off on the wrong foot Wednesday afternoon, as he was once again unable to practice. Rumors have been swirling that suggest Nacua is dealing with a sports hernia, and while McVay shot that down, he didn’t sound like a guy who was in a rush to force his superstar wideout back into action.
Sean McVay said Puka Nacua does NOT have a hernia, but the Rams are erring on the side of caution with the injury. ‘Usually time is the best thing that allows that thing to heal. And then once you get to a certain point, then I think you feel pretty good moving forward,'” Sarah Barshop of ESPN shared in a post on X.
Puka Nacua Trending Towards Missing Rams’ Week 3 Action
Ideally, Nacua would be healthy enough to play in Week 3, but things seem to be trending in the wrong direction for him right now. It’s still early in the season, and McVay recognizes that there’s no sense rushing him back into action if he isn’t ready to go at this time in the year. The more practices he misses, though, the more concern there will be surrounding his injury.
Nacua still has two days to suit up for practice and give himself a shot to play on Sunday, but McVay’s comments make it sound increasingly likely that he will miss his second straight game. There’s no doubt the Rams could use Nacua, though, as they have another tough matchup against the Denver Broncos awaiting them on Sunday Night Football.
Rams HC Sean McVay Provides Clarity on Puka Nacua Injury Rumors