Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua's exit on Sunday night is going to lead to an extended absence.
Nacua suffered a PCL sprain and is being placed on injured reserve, head coach Sean McVay said Monday. The Rams WR will miss at least the next four games.
Nacua missed most of the Rams' 26-20 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions when he injured his knee in the first half. He went into the blue medical tent, was designated as questionable but then briefly returned. However, he was taken to the locker room via cart, and that could well be the lasting image of the upstart wideout for a while.
Nacua, who played in all 17 games in his rookie season, was sidelined for multiple weeks during training camp after sustaining an injury in a joint practice.
He's coming off a record-setting rookie campaign in which his 105 catches and 1,486 receiving yards established new rookie NFL records.
Nacua had four catches for 35 yards in his abbreviated performance on Sunday.
Having burst onto the scene last year, much of Nacua's role for the Rams was filling in for an injured Cooper Kupp. Kupp, who had 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, is now the unquestioned No. 1 WR for quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams. Veteran pickup Tyler Johnson turned in a career-high 79 yards on five receptions and is likely to maintain a bigger role going forward.
After a nail-biting loss, losing the 23-year-old Nacua for a month is hardly the start the Rams were looking for in 2024.