Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is likely headed to injured reserve after suffering an MCL and PCL sprain in his right knee, along with turf toe, on the final play of Sunday’s win over the Washington Commanders.
Head coach Sean McVay told reporters on Monday he regrets the play call that led to the injury, saying he has replayed the decision repeatedly since the game, per ESPN.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I haven’t questioned the decision-making on that last play over and over in my head of what could have been another option that you felt like could have gotten a conversion, and maybe ended the game that would’ve led to him not taking a violent hit to his right knee,” McVay said.
McVay added that he feels “tremendous responsibility” for the injury and that the coaching staff must find ways to protect players while still putting them in position to make plays.
Nacua was handed the ball on third down as the Rams tried to close out the game. He gained five yards but took a hard hit and remained on the ground before eventually walking off under his own power.
If Nacua lands on injured reserve as McVay expects, he would miss the Rams’ next four games — against the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
The loss compounds an already thin receiving corps. Davante Adams has been out since suffering a hamstring tear in Week 6 against the Cardinals. McVay said the Rams will “look at all avenues,” including a possible trade before the Nov. 10 deadline at 4 p.m. ET, to add a receiver for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Nacua has been a central piece of the Rams’ offense, with Stafford relying on him across the field. Despite missing Weeks 2 and 3 with a hip injury, Nacua has caught 70 passes for 715 yards and four touchdowns — the most receptions by any player through his first seven career games in NFL history.
The Rams sit at 5-4 after Week 9, a stretch complicated by injuries to key players including Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald and Jaylen Watson, which has forced McVay’s staff to adapt. If the season ended today, the team would not hold a playoff spot, and it faces one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league.
