Puka Nacua was ruled out for the Los Angeles Rams’ home opener against the New York Giants with a hip injury that kept him out of several practices last week.
Nacua previously dealt with a separate psoas issue during the preseason, but that didn’t prevent him from playing in the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He caught five passes for 74 yards in the historic Australia game.
With Nacua sidelined against the Giants, the Rams will be limited at the wide receiver position on Monday Night Football. They still have Davante Adams, but Jordan Whittington is also not expected to play in the matchup.
Behind Adams, the Rams are looking at a group that includes Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith, CJ Daniels and Tutu Atwell. L.A. could utilize their tight ends more to make up for the losses at wide receiver, with running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum also capable of making an impact in the receiving game.
Nacua’s absence is a significant loss for a Rams team trying to avoid an 0-2 start to their regular season. However, it sounds like the injury isn’t too serious and he may be able to return for L.A.’s Week 3 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
In the meantime, the Rams will rely on their other offensive weapons to help them weather the storm until Nacua is healthy again.
Rams’ injuries against Giants
In addition to Nacua, the Rams previously ruled out safety Kamren Kinchens for their game against the Giants. They will also be without star pass rusher Myles Garrett, who underwent right knee surgery and is now on injured reserve.
In some positive news, Nate Landman, Omar Speights, Kam Curl and Davis Allen are all expected to play against the Giants after being removed from the injury report.
The Rams will also be getting back future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald for the first time in nearly three years after he came out of retirement during the offseason.
