Rams Expect to Put Puka Nacua on IR With Knee Sprains and Turf Toe as Sean McVay Questions Final Play Call

The Rams' best receiver got hurt on a play his own coach cannot stop second-guessing. Sean McVay said Monday that the Rams expect to place Puka Nacua on injured reserve with sprains of the MCL and PCL in his right knee plus turf toe, a blow that lands with Davante Adams already on IR and the Rams riding a three-game winning streak.

"It's a strong chance that we put him on IR. So we're thinking it's going to be at least a month," McVay told reporters, per the Rams' official site (opens in a new tab).

The snap McVay keeps replaying

Nacua was hurt on the Rams' last offensive snap of Sunday's 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders. With under two minutes to play and a seven-point lead, Los Angeles faced third-and-11 and handed Nacua the ball on a jet sweep. He gained five yards before Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves brought him down hard, according to FOX Sports and Pro Football Talk. The Rams punted, and the defense closed it out.

The Rams said Sunday they did not believe the ACL was torn, FOX Sports reported, and an MRI on Monday showed the two ligament sprains and the toe injury.

McVay did not hide from the call. "I'm kicking myself about those kinds of things," McVay said, per FOX Sports. "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," McVay added, per TheRams.com.

He also made clear the injury stung on a personal level. "I'm bummed for Puka," McVay said, according to NFL.com. "I feel for him." Asked about the contact Nacua invites with his physical style, McVay told the Associated Press that asking him to play any other way would be "like telling a tiger not to be a tiger."

What the Rams lose

Nacua had just played one of the best games of his season. He caught 14 of his 19 targets for a season-high 150 yards at Northwest Stadium, and his leaping 7-yard touchdown with 12:51 left broke a 13-13 tie and held up as the winner. He added two carries for 20 yards, including a 15-yard jet sweep in the fourth quarter that produced the Rams' final first down, TheRams.com noted. His 150 receiving yards made up most of Matthew Stafford's 228 through the air.

Across seven games, Nacua has 70 catches for 715 yards and four touchdowns. He missed two games in September and has been the focal point of the offense ever since Adams went down. Over the last three games, with Adams and tight end Terrance Ferguson both out, he caught 33 passes for 298 yards and three scores, per TheRams.com.

That is the core of the problem. According to the AP, Nacua and Adams account for 100 of the 120 catches Rams wide receivers have made this season. Pro Football Rumors pointed to Tutu Atwell and Konata Mumpfield as the next men up.

Adams is still weeks away

Adams ruptured his semitendinosus, a hamstring tendon, in the Week 6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and the Rams placed him on injured reserve on Oct. 20. At the time, the team said he was expected to miss six to 10 weeks. He does not have a set return date, the AP reported.

The timeline

An IR stint costs a player at least four games. If the move goes through this week, Nacua would miss the trip to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, home games against Green Bay and Kansas City, and a road game at San Francisco, with the Week 11 bye mixed in. His first chance to return would be Dec. 20 against the Dallas Cowboys, per NFL.com and Pro Football Talk.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the PCL sprain is relatively minor and that the MCL is what is driving the IR decision, and that the injury does not look season-ending, according to Pro Football Rumors. As of Wednesday morning, the move had not yet appeared on the Rams' official transaction log.

No trade, and a numbers game

McVay said Monday the Rams would look to add depth at receiver and told the AP he would not rule out a trade. The deadline passed Tuesday afternoon without a deal, Rams Wire reported, leaving Los Angeles with four picks in next year's draft and a thin room.

There is also the matter of return slots. Teams get eight designations to bring players back from IR, and the Rams have already used three, on Keagen Trost, Myles Garrett and Ronnie Rivers, TheRams.com reported. Ferguson, Adams, defensive end Kobie Turner and now Nacua are all candidates for the rest. Guard Steve Avila is also out with a hamstring strain, though McVay said putting him on IR is not something the team is trying to do right now.

The Rams are 5-4 and play at Arizona on Sunday, Nov. 15, looking to avenge the 18-16 loss from Week 6. For now, an offense built around two star receivers will have to win without both of them.

Sources: TheRams.com, NFL.com, FOX Sports, Associated Press, Pro Football Talk, Pro Football Rumors, Rams Wire.

Photo: Los Angeles Rams (file photo, official team roster portrait).