Puka Nacua Expected to Play for Rams vs. 49ers amid Rib Injury, Sean McVay Says

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is expected to play Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers for a pivotal NFC West matchup, per head coach Sean McVay to reporters.

Nacua suffered a rib injury after being tackled on a jet sweep in the third quarter of his team's 34-10 home game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. He left the game after catching seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Nacua has enjoyed a sensational season with 61 catches, 711 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. He's hit those numbers even though he missed Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars with an ankle injury and almost two quarters of the Saints game.

Clearly, Los Angeles needs him on the field. The 6-2 Rams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders and quite close to even being 8-0. They lost 33-26 to the Philadelphia Eagles after a game-winning field goal attempt was blocked for a touchdown, and they lost 26-23 to the San Francisco 49ers in overtime.

Los Angeles does have pass-catching talent minus Nacua, of course, led by six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams, who has 36 catches for 491 yards and eight touchdowns on the year. Nacua is a target machine (NFL-leading 73 for the year), and L.A. certainly is at its best with him on the field.

Thankfully, it appears he'll be good to go for Sunday. A win would be huge for the Rams, as they'd stay tied for the NFC West lead with the Seattle Seahawks at minimum at 7-2 (Seattle plays the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday). A loss could push the Rams down to third, as San Francisco would improve to 7-3 and also win the head-to-head tiebreaker for the year against their NFC West foes.

Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET in Levi's Stadium in Sunday.