Puka Nacua caught 14 passes and scored the go-ahead touchdown Sunday. The Rams have until Tuesday afternoon to decide whether to trade for help while he’s out.
After Monday’s MRI, Sean McVay said Nacua has MCL and PCL sprains in his right knee and is also dealing with turf toe. McVay expects him to miss at least a month and said the Rams will likely place him on injured reserve. That would cost Nacua at least four games, with Week 15 against Dallas the earliest he could return.
Nacua was hurt on a third-and-11 jet sweep with 1:44 left in the Rams’ 20–13 win over Washington. It was their final offensive snap. McVay said he’d gone over the decision repeatedly.
“I’m kicking myself,” McVay said during his Monday media availability.
The Rams were already without Davante Adams, who’s on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Nacua accounted for 150 of Matthew Stafford’s 228 passing yards Sunday. The rest of the Rams’ wide receivers combined for four catches and 36 yards.
Doug McKain and Bill Reiter reacted as the news broke Monday on D-Mac & Reiter on 97.1 The Fan LA. McKain sees a deal before Tuesday’s 1 p.m. PT deadline as necessary to keep the season alive.
“If the Rams do not address this via a trade, this season is going nowhere,” McKain said.
Reiter questioned how much one receiver could fix. He was open to inexpensive options and warned against paying a premium for a player who would still leave the Rams short.
“There is no move that helps. There is no move that gets it done,” Reiter said.
McVay had indicated last week he expected a quiet deadline. When reporters asked him at the same media availability whether Nacua’s injury made a trade more likely, he said the Rams had to look at every option.
“I would never rule it out,” McVay said.
McKain brought up Colts slot receiver Josh Downs and questioned how much he’d move the needle. Downs has requested a trade, and ESPN reported Indianapolis has told teams it already received a fourth-round offer. The Rams are tight against the salary cap and have already traded away their first- and third-round picks in 2027. That makes a big swing hard to see.
A smaller deal makes sense. The Rams have won three straight to get to 5–4, and Myles Garrett’s three-sack return gives their defense a chance to keep them in games. Green Bay, Kansas City and San Francisco are all on the schedule during the stretch Nacua would miss on injured reserve. If Les Snead can find someone Stafford can trust on third down at a reasonable price, he should make that deal.
Watch Doug McKain and Bill Reiter react to the Puka Nacua injury on 97.1 The Fan LA.
