Puka Nacua’s status suddenly became the biggest Rams storyline heading into Monday Night Football.
The wide receiver landed on the injury report Friday with what Sean McVay described as a groin issue, and the Rams listed him as questionable for Week 2 against the New York Giants. McVay said Nacua will not practice and that his availability is still up in the air.
“He's got a little bit of soreness in that groin,” said McVay. “Whether or not he plays is to be determined and so we'll see how he's feeling, but he won't practice today.”
McVay also made it clear this is not the same issue Nacua dealt with late in the preseason, when a psoas injury kept him out for a few weeks. This, McVay said, is separate. The Rams, he added, were just being careful with a skill player who wasn’t quite at full speed.
“He felt good but didn't feel totally like himself,” McVay said. “His ability to be able to open up and really hit full speed wasn't 100 percent so he had some soreness in there and so that's why we've been smart with him the last couple days.”
If Nacua can’t go, the Rams could be staring at a thin receiver room. Jordan Whittington is doubtful with a quad injury, which would leave Davante Adams backed up by Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith, CJ Daniels, and Tutu Atwell. Wide receiver depth was already a question entering the season, and Monday night could put that group under a real spotlight.
There is, though, a wrinkle here that has worked for Los Angeles before. When the Rams have been short on receivers, they’ve sometimes looked more efficient on offense.
Last season against the Jaguars, they played without Nacua, leaned on 12 and 13 personnel, and put up 35 points. If the Rams are missing bodies again, McVay could go back to that look and make the tight ends a bigger part of the game plan.
The defense has its own issue to sort out. Kam Kinchens will miss the game with a hamstring injury after not practicing this week, and that could mean more work at deep safety for Quentin Lake, along with a heavier reliance on Jaylen McCollough.
Elsewhere on the injury report, linebacker Omar Speights was a full participant after showing up earlier in the week. Kam Curl and Nate Landman were limited, though McVay said earlier in the week that Landman is expected to be good for the game. He did not carry a game status designation Saturday, which points to him playing.
The Giants had a lighter injury report of their own. Cornerback Tae Bank and linebacker Micah McFadden were listed as questionable Saturday.
Right tackle Andrew Thomas was limited but did not get a game status designation. Defensive lineman Chauncey Golston, guard Francis Mauigoa, and cornerback Greg Newsome were full participants.
With an extra day to rest, the Rams will be hoping Nacua is ready to suit up. At 0-1, they’d rather not head toward an 0-2 start without their top offensive playmaker.
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Shulas plan made some sense on paper, given the limited information available on the opponent and the presence of new faces in the secondary, but the results showed how thin the margin can be when communication slips. The Rams breakdowns were not just about coverage choices, but about a defense that never seemed fully connected once the game started to tilt. And now the question hanging over this group is whether the issue was a shaky opener, or the first sign that the Rams may need to rethink how they are putting this defense together. [Read more 🡒]