Nacua’s Injury Leaves the Rams With a Test of Depth

BMBuck Mahoney · Old school · Nov 10 at 3:40 AM

Let me tell you something. A team can win on Sunday and still leave the field carrying a loss that changes the season. The Rams beat Washington 20-13, their third straight victory, and moved to 5-4. Then, on the final offensive play, Puka Nacua took a hard tackle around his right knee on a jet sweep. By Monday, coach Sean McVay said the All-Pro receiver had MCL and PCL sprains and turf toe, and was likely headed to injured reserve. The Rams expect him to miss at least a month. An IR stay means at least four games out before he can return, and the actual timetable could be longer. The first report of Nacua’s MRI came after he left the field with a limp and was later seen wearing a knee brace.

That timing is as cruel as it gets. Nacua’s injury came on a play meant to help Los Angeles drain the clock and protect a win. It also followed a performance that showed why the Rams have leaned on him so heavily: 14 catches on 19 targets for 150 yards and a touchdown, plus two carries for 20 yards. The touchdown was the game-winner, with 12:51 left. For the season, he has 70 receptions for 715 yards and four receiving scores, along with 41 rushing yards and another touchdown. The Rams play in the NFC West, and their win over Washington put them above .500 for the first time this season. Nacua’s big day against the Commanders was another reminder of how much of this offense runs through him.

The larger picture is what makes this more than one bad injury. Davante Adams is already out with a ruptured hamstring, with no settled return date. McVay had previously said Adams might miss six to ten weeks, while Nacua’s likely IR stint takes away Stafford’s other leading target for at least four games. Tight end Terrance Ferguson is also expected to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury. And starting guard Steve Avila is facing a significant absence of his own after a hamstring injury. That matters beyond the passing game: Avila is important to the Rams’ running attack, too.

The loss of Nacua is especially large because his production is not just a matter of a few catches in the box score. He has led Los Angeles in its receiving categories this season, and the reports describe him as the central figure in the offense. Last season, he led the league in receptions and receiving yards per game. His physical style has helped make him so difficult to replace, but it has also come in a season already interrupted by injuries: he missed two games with a groin problem, had a core muscle injury during camp and strained a calf in practice late last month. None of that tells us how quickly he will recover from these new injuries. It does tell us the Rams have been asking a lot of a player who has already had to work back from setbacks.

Now the calendar becomes part of the story. Los Angeles visits Arizona next, then has a Week 11 bye before games against Green Bay and Kansas City, followed by a trip to San Francisco. The coming stretch includes playoff contenders, and the bye gives Nacua an additional week to heal, but it does not erase the minimum time he must sit if placed on injured reserve. Adams might be eligible to return as early as the Week 12 game against Green Bay, according to one report, but his recovery remains uncertain. The Rams will have to make their plans with no guarantee either star is ready when the schedule turns demanding.

There is also a decision due before the next game: the trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern. Los Angeles has said it believes in its receiving depth, but the injuries have changed the arithmetic. One report points to possible outside options, including Brian Thomas Jr., Josh Downs and Isaiah Williams. Those names are possibilities to call about, not evidence a deal is coming. The Rams can try to ride out the shortage with the players they have, or look for help before the deadline. Either way, Matthew Stafford will need answers from the remaining pass catchers, while Kyren Williams and Blake Corum could have a larger role in sustaining the offense. The win over Washington showed the Rams can still find a way through a game; it did not settle how they will replace the production now missing.

For my part, I hate seeing a player’s best work on a Sunday turn into an injury report by Monday. And I’ll be watching what the Rams do before that deadline, because the next stretch will say plenty about the depth they trust. For now, the honest answer is that nobody knows exactly when Nacua will be back. The Rams have a winning streak, a difficult schedule and a wide-open hole in their offense. They will need more than hope to keep all three from becoming a problem.