Nacua brought in five of nine targets for 74 yards during the Rams' 27-7 Week 1 loss to the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
Nacua was in the familiar position of leading the Rams in receptions, receiving yards and targets, but in a game where Los Angeles' offense surprisingly sputtered and Matthew Stafford threw for only 155 yards, those figures were still below the star wide receiver's lofty standards. Nacua's role as Stafford's unquestioned top target remains locked in, and despite the lackluster season-opening team performance, the fourth-year receiver should have plenty of opportunity to bounce back in a Week 2 home matchup against the Giants on Monday night, Sept. 21.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Avoids injury report
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Nacua (core) was not listed on the injury report the Rams released Tuesday, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com.
Nacua has been slowed since picking up a core muscle injury nearly a month ago, but he will avoid the injury report altogether in advance of Week 1. With Nacua seemingly at full speed, expect him to fill his usual role when the Rams kick off their season against the 49ers in Australia.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Expected to play in Australia
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Rams head coach Sean McVay said Sunday that Nacua (core) is expected to play Thursday against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.
According to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com, McVay noted earlier in the weekend that Nacua was "making good progress" in his recovery from psoas soreness, and the coach's latest update offers further reassurance that the star wideout will be ready to go for the season opener. Additionally, Nacua's status had been muddled by the NFL actively reviewing his case for a potential violation of the league's personal conduct policy. While Nacua isn't necessarily in the clear of discipline from the league, the NFL typically announces suspensions for players prior to the Aug. 30 roster cutdown deadline. Nacua's recovery from the core injury thus appears to be his chief concern at this juncture rather than any suspension, and if the Rams list him as a full practice participant when they release their first injury report of the season Monday, it would be a firm indication that he'll suit up Thursday.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Making progress in recovery
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Nacua (groin), per head coach Sean McVay, is "making good progress" in his recovery, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Nacua worked with trainers on the side at practice throughout the week, but McVay indicated things are moving in the right direction for Nacua and that he has been "hitting some high speed yards at a really good clip." Nacua's status for Thursday's season opener against the 49ers remains up in the air, but a better estimate at his availability will presumably be able to be made when the Rams release their first official injury report in advance of Week 1.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Working off to side Monday
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Nacua (groin) was off to the side for team drills at Monday's practice, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.
Nacua returned to practice Sunday and is slowly ramping things back up 10 days ahead of the Rams' Week 1 opener against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10. The star wideout has missed a sizable chunk of the summer, but he and Matthew Stafford already have elite chemistry and should be able to pick things back up rather quickly when the games count. Nacua has been a locked-in first-round fantasy pick.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Back at practice Sunday
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Nacua (groin) is practicing Sunday, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Nacua made an early exit from the Rams' joint practice with the Cowboys on Aug. 11 and eventually was diagnosed with psoas soreness. Now almost three weeks removed from the initial injury, he's taking a step in the right direction by returning to drills. Los Angeles opens the season Thursday, Sept. 10 against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, a contest for which the team likely is aiming for him to be available.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Still sidelined at practice
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Nacua was a non-participant at Thursday's joint practice with the Saints, Stu Jackson and Zach Edwards of the Rams' official site report.
Nacua has been a spectator at practice since departing last Tuesday's joint session with the Cowboys early, eventually getting diagnosed with soreness in his psoas. On Monday, coach Sean McVay said Nacua may not return to practice until next week, which now will be his next chance to mix back into drills. The Rams likely will continue to take it easy with Nacua to ensure he's healthy for a Week 1 matchup with the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Could remain sidelined all week
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Coach Sean McVay said Nacua (groin) may not practice this week, Greg Beacham of the Associated Press reports.
Nacua has been dealing with a minor groin injury since last Tuesday, which as of Thursday was clarified to be soreness in his psoas. He didn't make the trip to Kansas City for this past Saturday's preseason game, and if he doesn't mix into drills at all this week, either, he seemingly would be trending toward another absence this Saturday versus the Saints. In the end, though, having Nacua 100 percent for Week 1 against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10 is the key, so the Rams taking a cautious approach with him comes as no surprise
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Expected to be "ready to go" next week
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Head coach Sean McVay expects Nacua (groin), who is dealing with soreness in his psoas, to be "ready to go" in practice ahead of the team's second preseason game against the Saints on Aug. 22, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.
The psoas is a muscle that runs from the lower back through the pelvis and to the top of the femur. Nacua left Tuesday's joint practice with the Cowboys due to soreness in that area. He's on track to sit out Saturday's preseason opener against the Chiefs before likely returning to practice ahead of the team's second preseason game versus the Saints. The standout wideout can thus be considered day-to-day for now.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Leaves practice early with injury
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Coach Sean McVay said Nacua left Tuesday's joint practice with the Cowboys early and that he doesn't have an update on the wide receiver's status, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Nacua exited with the Rams' training staff, indicating that he's dealing with some sort of health concern. The team doesn't seem to be treating the issue as a serious one, but it could still keep Nacua out of the lineup for Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Strong start to training camp
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Nacua has been the star of Rams training camp through four practices, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.
Nacua has made some questionable off-field decisions at times, but his on-field effectiveness isn't in question, and the NFL's 2025 regular-season receptions leader has been piling up plenty of catches in practice as Matthew Stafford's favorite target. As long as Nacua stays on the field, he'll likely be a dominant force in the final season of his rookie contract with the Rams.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Checks into rehab facility
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Nacua's attorney confirmed this week that the star wide receiver has checked into a rehab facility in Malibu, California, Edward Lewis of the California Post reports.
Nacua has been in the news for the wrong reasons since the Rams' season came to an end in the NFC Championship Game against the Seahawks back in January. He was accused of biting a woman during a Dec. 31 night out in Los Angeles after consuming alcohol. The woman then pressed charges against Nacua, who has since checked into a recovery center. "He is committed to using this time constructively so that he can return in the best possible position -- both personally and professionally -- to continue contributing to his team and the game he loves," Nacua's lawyer, Levi McCathern, said via Steve Wyche of NFL Network. "He will complete the program in time to fully participate in all of the Rams' OTAs. Puka is also deeply grateful for the support he has received from his family, friends, coach [Sean] McVay and teammates."
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Held to 62 yards in OT win
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Nacua had five receptions on 10 targets for 56 yards while taking two carries for six yards in Sunday's 20-17 overtime playoff win against Chicago.
Nacua's 62 yards from scrimmage fell short of expectations in the divisional round given his recent string of hot play and the fact that the playoff contest nearly went five quarters. The stud wideout will get another opportunity to post gaudy numbers in the NFC Championship Game against Seattle after the Rams narrowly survived Sunday's overtime thriller. Nacua is primed to go off against the division foe after registering a robust 19-300-2 receiving line in two meetings against the Seahawks this regular season.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Keeps rolling to start postseason
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Nacua recorded 10 receptions on 18 targets for 111 yards and one touchdown in Saturday's 34-31 wild-card round win over the Panthers. He added three rushes for 14 yards and an additional score.
Nacua got off to a hot start, logging three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown on the Rams' first offensive possession. He then capped off the team's third drive with a five-yard score that came on a backward pass from Matthew Stafford. Nacua also uncharacteristically dropped a wide-open pass heading into halftime that would have been another long touchdown, though he made up for that by breaking up a potential interception late in the fourth quarter to help the Rams advance. All told, he played a key role in the win and will remain a focal point of the offense in the upcoming divisional round.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Salvages night with late TD
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Nacua finished with five receptions (on 10 targets) for 47 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 27-24 loss to the Falcons.
Nacua was unable to feast on Atlanta the way he did last week against Seattle (12-225-2) in teammate Davante Adams' (hamstring) first missed game of the season. The Falcons' talented secondary did an excellent job of limiting the Rams' remaining superstar for the majority of Monday Night Football. Nacua couldn't be held down for the entire contest and hit pay dirt on an 11-yard screen pass to knot the game up at 24 with 4:42 remaining. After the loss, head coach Sean McVay told Stu Jackson of the team's official site that he plans on playing all of his healthy starters against the Cardinals in Week 18, which makes sense given the Rams still can claim the No. 5 seed in the NFC with a win in the regular-season finale and a loss by the 49ers on Saturday night. This affords Nacua one last opportunity on the campaign to build on his career-best 119-1,639-9 receiving line.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Six grabs in loss to Carolina
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Nacua caught six of nine targets for 72 yards in Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Panthers.
Davante Adams was on the other end of both of Matthew Stafford's TD passes on the day, but Nacua led the Rams in catches and targets. Nacua has hauled in at least five passes in five straight games since returning from an ankle sprain in Week 9, racking up a 32-403-2 line on 42 targets over that stretch. The third-year wideout will look to keep rolling in a Week 14 divisional clash with the Cardinals.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Limited to begin Week 10 prep
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Coach Sean McVay said that imaging on Nacua's ribs returned negative, and while the wide receiver will be limited at Wednesday's practice, he should be able to play Sunday at San Francisco, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
Nacua exited early from this past Sunday's win against the Saints with what initially was termed a chest injury, but McVay clarified afterward that he hurt his ribs. McVay then told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times on Monday that he felt "optimistic... in regard to where we're potentially heading." There's a decent chance Nacua has practice restrictions all week, with Friday's injury report to reveal whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Getting rib checked out
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Head coach Sean McVay said that Nacua is scheduled to have a scan on the rib injury he sustained in Sunday's 34-10 win over the Saints, but the Rams remain "optimistic" that the wideout won't miss any time, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.
McVay's comments essentially echo what he said following Sunday's win, when he suggested that Nacua could have returned to the contest after exiting in the third quarter but ultimately remained on the sideline for the rest of the game while the Rams were sitting on a comfortable lead. Nacua's scan appears to be precautionary in nature, though even if the results reveal nothing concerning, the star receiver's practice participation could still be affected leading up to next Sunday's game at San Francisco.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Return to action confirmed
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Rams coach Sean McVay confirmed Friday that Nacua will return for Sunday's game against the Saints, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Nacua was injured Week 6 and will end up missing just one game with the help of a Week 8 bye. The Rams listed him as a limited practice participant Wednesday, before an upgrade to full participation Thursday answered lingering doubts about Nacua's Week 9 availability.
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Rams' Puka Nacua: Remains sidelined at practice
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Nacua (ankle) was a non-participant at practice Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Nacua is tending to a left ankle sprain following this past Sunday's win at Baltimore that has left him "day-to-day," as coach Sean McVay called the wide receiver Monday, per Tyler Dragon of USA Today. Since then, Nacua has missed the first two practices of Week 7 prep as the Rams prepare to travel to London for Sunday's matchup with the Jaguars. The team could err on the side of caution with Nacua with a Week 8 bye on tap, but ultimately Friday's injury report will reveal his chances to suit up this weekend.
