Rams' Puka Nacua Suffered Sprained PCL vs. Lions, Will Go on IR with Knee Injury

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua exited Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions early, and now he will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks.

Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters Monday that Nacua suffered a PCL sprain and will be placed on the injured reserve.

The update came after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the receiver "aggravated his summer knee injury" and was considered "week to week."

McVay said it was a more significant injury to the same ligament and added the plan is for Nacua to rest and rehab instead of undergoing surgery.

The 23-year-old suffered the injury in the first half and briefly returned before he exited. While he walked to the sideline, he ended up leaving the field on a cart:

Los Angeles ended up forcing overtime without him after falling behind 17-3, but it ultimately failed to come up with a key defensive stop to ice the game. Detroit drove into field-goal range in the final minute to force the extra period and then relied on its offensive line and running back David Montgomery to score the winning touchdown in overtime.

Matthew Stafford never got a chance to touch the ball in overtime despite throwing for 317 yards, one touchdown and one interception even with one of his top targets sidelined for most of the game.

Nacua was one of the biggest surprises in the NFL last season.

Los Angeles selected him out of BYU with a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and he immediately burst onto the scene as a rookie Pro Bowler with 105 catches for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns.

He helped the team stay afloat before Cooper Kupp made his season debut in October and seemed primed to take another step in his second year.

Alas, he will now be out for at least the next four games, which are all against NFC competition. The Rams face the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in the next four contests and will likely need to rely even more on Kupp during those games.

Look for Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson to see more opportunities as well.