The Rams are heading into Week 3 with real uncertainty around Puka Nacua, and Sean McVay isn’t sounding overly confident about getting his top receiver back against the Broncos.
Nacua sat out Week 2 with a hip and groin injury after opening the season in Melbourne against the San Francisco 49ers, where he finished with 5 receptions for 74 yards in the loss. Los Angeles still rolled past the Giants without him, but the offense clearly looks different when Nacua isn’t on the field.
McVay said the team is still waiting to see how things develop.
“I’m not sure what his status is as far as this next coming week. I’m hopeful that he’ll play,” McVay told reporters per TheRams.com’s Stu Jackson.
He also made it clear the Rams are not going to rush a soft tissue injury for one of their key skill players.
“When you have soft tissue injuries with guys like that that are skill players, you’re going to err on the side of caution,” he added.
That cautious approach fits the start of the 2026 season, especially with Nacua already dealing with an injury this early. McVay also stressed that the Rams have to be ready to adjust their plan if the receiver can’t go.
“You have to redirect your whole kind of plans, and you almost have to operate where it’s like, ‘All right, if he plays it’s a bonus, but we can’t count on him playing even though we were hopeful that there might be a chance,” McVay said to the LA Times.
Los Angeles will take on the 1-1 Denver Broncos on Sunday night in Denver.
Nacua’s offseason also took a very different turn from most players. Instead of only focusing on football, he became a father, and he has spoken about the weight that came with his rise in fame. In an interview, Nacua said he began leaning on alcohol because of stress.
“Just kind of drowning myself, so that the issues and the stress that I was feeling never had the opportunity to be addressed,” Puka Nacua revealed in an interview.
The 2025 Pro Bowl receiver said he wants to be a better example for his son, and the Rams are hoping that means getting him back on the field soon.
In Other News...
Broncos First-Round Pick Is Already Raising An Uncomfortable Question
Jahdae Barron arrived in Denver with the kind of draft pedigree that usually comes with an immediate runway, but the early part of his second season has looked nothing like that. Through the first two games of the 2026 NFL season, the Broncos cornerback has played only six defensive snaps, a sign of just how crowded the depth chart has become behind Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillian.
For a first-round pick from 2025, that reality raises an awkward question about how soon Barron can carve out a meaningful role. The Broncos clearly value the talent they added, but with the secondary already established, it is fair to wonder whether Barron is headed toward a longer developmental path than teams usually expect from a player taken that high, and whether Denver drafted for the future at a spot where the present was already spoken for. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Knows The Broncos Have A Problem Even After Winning
The Broncos left Jacksonville with a 20-13 win and the kind of relief that comes from surviving a second-half deficit, but Sean Payton did not treat it like a clean bill of health. After back-to-back weeks of football that have already tested their nerve, the coach pointed to the value of winning close games while also making it clear Denver cannot keep leaning on late escapes as a long-term plan.
At 1-1 in the 2026 season, the Broncos have shown they can hang around and finish, which matters, but the early-game issues remain hard to ignore. Paytons challenge now is turning those gritty outcomes into more controlled ones, and the next chance comes against the Los Angeles Rams, where Denver will again be looking for a steadier start and a little less drama. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Backfield Concern Just Got Harder To Ignore Before Sunday
The Broncos spent part of the week taking a closer look at their running back depth, bringing in three free agents for tryouts as injuries continue to test the position. Denver looked at Marcus Yarns, Sam Scott and Jaden Nixon while trying to sort through a backfield that has been thinned by injuries, and none of those players have been signed yet.
Sean Payton has already acknowledged the health concerns around J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, but the Broncos are still weighing their options with Sunday approaching. It leaves Denver in a familiar spot for this time of year, trying to balance short-term availability with the need to keep enough stability in the backfield to get through the game. [Read more 🡒]