Rams' Puka Nacua's Week 7 status in doubt after tough injury diagnosis

Matt Sullivan

Rams' Puka Nacua's Week 7 status in doubt after tough injury diagnosis image

The Los Angeles Rams beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6 by a score of 17-3. They beat a depleted Ravens team that was missing Lamar Jackson, and while the offense wasn't up to their standard, they still did enough to secure the road win to get to 4-2.

However, while the Rams won, they saw their superstar wide receiver, Puka Nacua, go down with an injury after an endzone target went incomplete. He left the field, and while he didn't need to come back for the Rams, his status going forward was a concern.

The next day, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that Nacua is in doubt to play in Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London due to his sprained ankle. Nacua isn't a guarantee to play in Week 7, and with a Week 8 bye, the Rams might have a reason not to play him right away.

Rams facing Puka Nacua decision ahead of Week 7

"Rams WR Puka Nacua suffered a sprained ankle Sunday that puts him doubt for Sunday's game against the Jaguars in London, sources tell me and @RapSheet." Garafolo reports. "The team has a bye after the Jacksonville game, so it's looking like a few weeks before Nacua is back on the field."

Los Angeles, with a Week 8 bye, has more reason to sit Nacua than to play him if they want to try and get their superstar wide receiver healthy. While Nacua could try and suit up, the bye week makes the Rams' decision a bit more open-ended.

Nacua finished his Week 6 performance with two catches on three targets for 28 yards, by far the lowest total he's had all year. His connection with Matthew Stafford has been incredible, and he was one of the favorites for the Offensive Player of the Year Award through five weeks.

So far this season, Nacua has 616 receiving yards on 54 receptions with two touchdowns, to go with 52 rushing yards on three attempts with one touchdown.

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He's been the focal point of the Rams' offense, and without him, Devante Adams and Kyren Williams will need to take on more work as the leaders on offense.

Tyler Higbe, Jordan Whittington, Tutu Atwell, and potentially one of Konata Mumpfield or Xavier Smith could all see more involvement in the offense if Nacua misses any time, which unfortunately, looks like it might be the case.

Garafolo's report points towards Nacua missing Week 7's matchup against the Jaguars, in part because of the Rams' Week 8 bye. Getting Nacua two full weeks off, while missing just one game, is a good way to limit the time that Nacua is off the field.

While Sean McVay hasn't revealed the team's decision with Nacua, the 24-year-old wide receiver sitting out Week 7 wouldn't be a surprise with the context of the Week 8 bye that follows this upcoming week.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.