Rams Rule Out Puka Nacua for Week 2 Game After 74-Yard Opener

Q: Are the Rams using Nacua's game-time status as a smokescreen, or is their star receiver truly in danger of missing Monday's crucial game?

It looks far more like a genuine injury concern than a smokescreen. The strongest evidence is practical, not rhetorical: Nacua practiced Thursday but then missed both Friday and Saturday, and Sean McVay said he “didn’t feel totally like himself” when trying to open up and reach full speed. That is a specific football limitation for a receiver, especially one whose game depends on burst and separation. McVay also described the issue as groin soreness, while the official report listed hip and groin concerns, and said the team was being “smart” with him. Outside reporting points the same way. Multiple outlets described his status as truly “up in the air,” and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported he was “trending in the wrong direction.” Jay Glazer added that if Nacua is going to play, he still has to prove before kickoff that he is good to go. Those are not the usual signals teams send when a player is expected to suit up. The Rams do have some incentive to keep the Giants guessing, especially with New York already banged up at cornerback. But if this were mainly gamesmanship, it would be unusual to pull such a key player out of the last two practices and openly acknowledge concerns about his speed and movement. The most likely read is that Los Angeles will wait until pregame because Nacua still has a chance, but the risk of him sitting — or playing on a limited snap count — is real.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Sep 21

Puka Nacua was officially inactive for the Rams’ Monday night game against the Giants, sidelining one of Los Angeles’ top offensive weapons.
A hip injury kept Nacua out after he missed practice Friday and Saturday; he had been listed as trending toward a game-time scratch.
Five catches for 74 yards in the season-opening loss to San Francisco underscored what the Rams lose on offense, even as Aaron Donald returned for Los Angeles.
The Giants also entered shorthanded, with cornerback Deonte Banks and linebacker Micah McFadden among New York’s inactives for the matchup.