Rams receiver Puka Nacua suffered a knee sprain during the season-opening overtime defeat to the Detroit Lions and will be placed on injured reserve, coach Sean McVay said Monday.
Nacua suffered a right posterior cruciate ligament sprain Sunday in the second quarter of a 26-20 loss at Detroit, reaggravating an injury he suffered in August during a joint practice with the Chargers, McVay said. Once placed on IR, Nacua will miss at least the next four games.
“It’s unfortunate for him, and I’m bummed out for the person, more importantly,” McVay said during a videoconference with reporters.
Offensive linemen Steve Avila, who suffered an medial collateral ligament sprain against the Lions, and Joe Noteboom (ankle) are candidates to be placed on injured reserve, McVay said. Right guard Kevin Dotson, who left the Ford Field locker room on crutches and with his left foot and ankle in a protective boot, suffered a lateral ankle sprain and will be day to day, McVay said. Cornerback Cobie Durant (toe) also is day to day.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein, who did not play against the Lions because of an ankle injury he suffered early in training camp, will be assessed again this week during practice, McVay said. Left tackle Alaric Jackson is ineligible to play on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals because he is serving a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The Rams went through a similar injury wave in 2022 during their historic Super Bowl hangover. McVay said the Rams “would not go down that road” of making excuses.
“I’ll tell you what we’re not going to do is we’re not going to sulk, we’re not going to say [woe] is me,” McVay said. “We’re going to get the next guy ready to go, we’re going to get some new bodies in here, and we’ll be grateful when we do get those guys that are injured back.
“But the league, it continues to move. And it’s a thankless deal with some of these injuries.”
Nacua was injured while making a third-down catch in the second quarter. He got to his feet unsteadily, and was examined in the sideline medical tent. Nacua returned to the game before he was declared out at halftime. He finished with four catches for 35 yards. He also rushed for seven yards.
It was the latest setback for Nacua, who enjoyed a record-setting rookie season and seemingly had recovered from the injury suffered against the Chargers. On that day, Nacua fell hard to the turf attempting to make a contested catch in the end zone. He spent the last half of the workout on the sideline with an ice pack on his right knee.
McVay said a few days later that a bursa sac in Nacua’s knee had burst. Nacua was sidelined for several weeks, but he worked his way back to full participation in the weeks leading up to the opener.
Tutu Atwell, Tyler Johnson and rookie Jordan Whittington will help fill the void left by Nacua’s absence.
Last season, a hamstring injury forced star receiver Cooper Kupp to begin the season on injured reserve, preventing McVay from reaping the benefit of pairing him with Nacua. Now, after one game this season, McVay is in a similar situation.
“The difference between last year is because Cooper was out of the majority of the time, you’ve got some continuity with that group,” McVay said. “This is a little bit different, but we’ve got some depth.”
