Perhaps the most concerning injury suffered by the Los Angeles Rams in the season opener was the one to Puka Nacua. He got hurt in the first half, aggravating the knee injury that caused him to miss three weeks during training camp, and has been ruled out for the foreseeable future.
Nacua is going to be placed on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least four games, but he could be out even longer than that. Sean McVay gave an update on the “Coach McVay Show” this week, revealing that it’s a Grade 2 PCL sprain.
“He’s got a Grade 2 PCL sprain. It’s the knee, it’s the same injury, it’s just a little bit more significant,” McVay said. “That’s a deal that you hate it for him because when you’re with him and he gets the information, you know how bad he wants to be out there with his teammates to contribute and be a part of this, it hurts him.”
McVay isn’t exactly sure how long Nacua will be out, but he has no doubt the receiver will return this season.
“He’s going to be back at some point, though. So that’s a positive. When that is, at what point, I don’t know. But that is why IR is the most likely scenario because it’ll at least be for a month,” McVay added.
One of the most notable cases of a player suffering a Grade 2 PCL sprain was when Lamar Jackson had the same injury at the end of the 2022 season. Jackson missed the final five regular-season games that year and also sat out the team’s first playoff game, meaning he was out for six weeks.
We don’t know whether Jackson would’ve missed additional time, but even six weeks was a lengthy absence – one that could be a realistic timeline for Nacua. Fortunately, the Rams have a bye in Week 6, so if he does miss the next four games, he could get an extra week of rest before potentially returning in Week 7.