Los Angeles may need Davante Adams to carry another heavy load in Week 3, because Puka Nacua is not on the practice field.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that the 2025 first-team All-Pro wideout, dealing with a groin issue, would be held out four days before the team’s prime-time meeting with the Denver Broncos (1-1). Nacua also sat out Week 2, when the Rams bounced back with a 28-6 win over the New York Giants. Until he is cleared to practice, Adams is the player Los Angeles is likely to lean on again.
That’s not a bad place to be after what Adams did Monday.
Against the Giants, he turned back the clock with eight catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Stathead research says only four players in NFL history have put up at least 195 receiving yards in a game in their 13th season or later.
What made it even more impressive was how he did it. Adams won his one-on-one battles with cornerback Greg Newsome in man coverage, including a remarkable individual effort late in the first half. He also showed sharp timing and adjustment on a perfectly placed throw from Matthew Stafford five minutes into the third quarter.
Now comes a much tougher assignment. Adams is set to see Patrick Surtain II, the 2024 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, in Sunday night’s game against Denver. That matchup alone gives this one plenty of juice.
Still, the Broncos may not make life as difficult as the name on Surtain’s back suggests. Through two games, Denver has played zone at a 56.3 percent clip, per FTN Fantasy, more often than man.
That could matter, because Adams was lethal against zone in Week 2. FTN Fantasy says he led all receivers in yards per route run against zone last week at 8.83.
Expecting a repeat of that Giants explosion would be asking a lot from a receiver who turns 34 in December, especially against a stronger Broncos defense. But with Nacua still sidelined, the Rams may need Adams to have more left in the tank.
In Other News...
Poona Ford Just Gave Rams Fans Real Hope Up Front
Poona Fords Rams debut in Week 1 did not give anyone much reason to believe the front would hold up the way the team needed, but his response in Week 2 looked a lot closer to the player Los Angeles was counting on. Working next to Aaron Donald, Ford helped steady the middle of the line and gave the Rams a sturdier answer against the run, something that has been a point of emphasis for a defense trying to establish itself early.
Against the Giants, the improvement showed up in the most direct way possible: New York was limited to 52 rushing yards on 21 carries. For a Rams defense that has leaned on disruptive interior play in the past, Fords ability to occupy space, hold his ground and make life harder between the tackles matters well beyond one afternoon, because the front now has a more believable path to consistency than it did seven days earlier. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Just Made A Move To Fix A Growing Special Teams Problem
The Rams made a small but telling roster move this week, signing safety Maximus Pulley off the Eagles practice squad as they try to steady a special teams unit that has become an issue. Pulley brings a background built around that phase of the game, and he already got a look on Philadelphias active roster earlier this season before landing in Los Angeles.
To make room, the Rams placed running back Ronnie Rivers on injured reserve, opening the door for a player who could be used mostly on coverage units and other special teams work. It is the kind of adjustment teams make when they want to clean up one part of the roster without overhauling everything, and it suggests the Rams are taking the problem seriously as they search for a more reliable answer. [Read more 🡒]
Davante Adams Sparked A Viral Debate Rams Fans Didnt See Coming
Davante Adams has been a familiar name around the Rams orbit since the wideouts endorsement work with Taco Bell turned into one of those oddly memorable football-adjacent marketing moments. The campaign even got a pop-up called Davantes House at SoFi Stadium, and Adams has talked about it in media appearances, helping fuel the kind of online chatter that can take on a life of its own around a star player.
The latest debate, though, came from fans running with the joke a little too far and treating the branding like it meant Adams literally had a Taco Bell in his home. He does not, of course, and the confusion has only added another layer to a story that already had Rams supporters paying attention, especially with Adams also drawing notice for his praise of Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie in a recent interview. [Read more 🡒]