Early in yesterday’s contest between the Rams and the Lions, star wide receiver Puka Nacua went down with a knee injury. The receiver returned to the game briefly before being carted off and deemed out for the rest of the contest. The receiver had four catches for 35 yards and a seven-yard rush before being taken out of the game. The Rams would lose to the Lions 26-20 in an overtime thriller. Coach McVay stated today that Nacua is dealing with a PCL strain and will now miss at least four weeks as the Rams have put him on the IR. The timetable to return from this injury varies, so we will have to wait and see when Nacua can return.
Breaking: Rams WR Puka Nacua will be placed on IR due to his knee injury and will miss at least four games, coach Sean McVay said. pic.twitter.com/kMQ9M5NGDy
— ESPN (@espn) September 9, 2024
Nacua burst onto the scene last year when he exploded for 1,486 receiving yards, 105 receptions, and six touchdowns. The star wide receiver was a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft after seasons at Washington and BYU. Nacua was the lead option at receiver for the Rams in 2023 and was honored by making the Pro Bowl in his rookie season.
The Rams are no stranger to injuries at the wide receiver position as other star Cooper Kupp has played in just 21 of the team's 34 games in the past two seasons, dealing with various injuries. The duo of Kupp and Nacua together is one of the more promising tandems in the NFL, but with Nacua now out for four weeks, Kupp will have to carry the receiving load. Kupp did that last night, bringing in 110 receiving yards on 14 receptions and a touchdown. He is now the main focus of the Ram's passing game.
