Puka Nacua's Week 2 Status Remains Unclear After 2 Missed Practices

Q: Are the Rams using Nacua's game-time status as a smokescreen, or is their star receiver truly in danger of missing Monday's crucial game?

It looks far more like a genuine injury concern than a smokescreen. The strongest evidence is practical, not rhetorical: Nacua practiced Thursday but then missed both Friday and Saturday, and Sean McVay said he “didn’t feel totally like himself” when trying to open up and reach full speed. That is a specific football limitation for a receiver, especially one whose game depends on burst and separation. McVay also described the issue as groin soreness, while the official report listed hip and groin concerns, and said the team was being “smart” with him. Outside reporting points the same way. Multiple outlets described his status as truly “up in the air,” and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported he was “trending in the wrong direction.” Jay Glazer added that if Nacua is going to play, he still has to prove before kickoff that he is good to go. Those are not the usual signals teams send when a player is expected to suit up. The Rams do have some incentive to keep the Giants guessing, especially with New York already banged up at cornerback. But if this were mainly gamesmanship, it would be unusual to pull such a key player out of the last two practices and openly acknowledge concerns about his speed and movement. The most likely read is that Los Angeles will wait until pregame because Nacua still has a chance, but the risk of him sitting — or playing on a limited snap count — is real.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 21

Hours before Monday's Week 2 game, Puka Nacua is still considered "up in the air" for the Rams' matchup with the Giants.
Two missed practices drove that uncertainty, with Nacua sidelined by hip and groin issues late in the week.
Pregame work is expected to shape the final decision, and the Rams plan to wait until just before kickoff to determine whether he can play.