LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that he is not sure whether Puka Nacua will play Sunday night against the Denver Broncos. He also said the team does not see the wide receiver’s injury as “any sort of long-term threat.”
Nacua did not play in Monday night’s game against the New York Giants. The injury report listed him with a hip injury. McVay later clarified that Nacua was dealing with “a little bit of soreness” in his groin.
McVay said Nacua does not have a hernia, but the Rams are being careful with the injury.
“When you’re a skill player and you’re really trying to hit high-speed yards and really open up and you feel just … it’s like some of the things that can almost be like pre-hernia is kind of what he’s feeling,” McVay said. “And so you err on the side of caution. Usually time is the best thing that allows that thing to heal. And then once you get to a certain point, then I think you feel pretty good moving forward.”
Puka Nacua’s Practice Status Before Sunday Night Football
The Rams did not practice Wednesday and held a walk-through instead on the short week. The team estimated on its injury report that Nacua would not have taken part if it had. McVay said the Rams will see whether Nacua can practice Thursday.
Nacua is frustrated with the situation, McVay said.
“We all want him to be able to be out there, but we want him to be able to return to performance, not just be able to just kind of gut through it,” McVay said.
Last week, McVay said the injury was not related to the psoas injury that cost Nacua time in August. In the season opener, Nacua led Los Angeles with 5 catches for 74 yards on 9 targets.
Puka Nacua Led The NFL In Receptions In 2025
Nacua was a first-team All-Pro in 2025 and led the league with 129 receptions. He finished that season with 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Rams drafted him in the fifth round, 177th overall, out of BYU in 2023. As a rookie, he set NFL rookie records with 105 receptions and 1,486 receiving yards.
Denver has injury questions of its own at running back. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey were limited in practice Wednesday with hamstring injuries, and rookie Jonah Coleman did not practice with a sprained ankle. The Rams and Broncos meet Sunday on “Sunday Night Football.”
