The Los Angeles Rams are gearing up for a crucial matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9 of the NFL, and to improve their record for a potential playoff berth, they need their roster at full strength. Puka Nacua, one of their star WRs, is dealing with a knee injury, and head coach Sean McVay addressed the possibility of him playing in this critical game.
While it was believed that the injury sustained by the WR last Thursday during practice could be serious, the head coach himself stated in a press conference that he might still be able to participate in the crucial game against Seattle on Sunday.
“I think it’s more about… he ended up going to the ground and it was kind of one of those deals that… I think the good thing is what the hope and expectation is that sometimes when you do that coming off an injury, it kind of scares you as much as anything where maybe you broke up some scar tissue,” McVay stated to reporters.
“When you look at the picture, it was really encouraging structurally. There can sometimes be a little bit of fluid, and then that can just limit some of your mobility, but getting that out of there and talking with [Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance] Reggie [Scott] about what his expectation is and knowing how Puka will attack the next couple days. It’s not something we’re concerned about other than wanting to be able to keep our guy off the ground,” HC continued.
Is Nacua’s injury really serious?
Puka Nacua’s knee injury has raised alarms for a franchise that could potentially lose Cooper Kupp as well. If this injury is deemed serious, it would be a significant blow for the Rams.
However, when asked by the press about this situation, Coach McVay provided reassurance regarding Nacua’s status: “I don’t expect that. It’s not like it’s an arthritic knee or anything like that. It’s just been kind of unfortunate where you’ve had the two instances that we talked about and then yesterday,” McVay said.
“Our hope is that it was more of a scare than really anything. I think in such a short amount of time… you go to the ground no matter whether you have a history with a knee or not, how physical he plays, and how heavy sometimes he can go down, that’s what can occur. I don’t anticipate that being something that’s going to be an issue moving forward,” he concluded.
What’s next for the Los Angeles Rams?
While WR Puka Nacua‘s presence is not 100% guaranteed for the matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, if there are no further physical setbacks, he should be available for Sean McVay in the following games.
- vs Seattle Seahawks, November 3rd
- vs Miami Dolphins, November 11th
- vs New England Patriots, November 17th
- vs Philadelphia Eagles, November 24th
- vs New Orleans Saints, December 1st