Rams resurgence might be derailed after Puka Nacua suffers another knee injury

After a miserable 1-4 start, it seemed like the Los Angeles Rams had finally turned the corner. Both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua were back healthy, Matthew Stafford was feasting as a result and a 30-20 win over the previously 5-1 Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football in Week 8 made it two wins in a row for L.A. With the NFC West a complete and utter mess, the Rams found themselves right in the thick of the playoff picture, with their best players back and playing their best football with plenty of season left to work with.

All those good vibes lasted exactly one week. Just a few days after the Rams welcomed Nacua back to the lineup against Minnesota, the star wideout's troublesome knee appears to be bothering him once again: Per Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic, Nacua missed his weekly press conference on Thursday with a knee injury.

It's unclear as of yet just what the nature of the injury is, or how serious; we don't even know yet whether it's the same knee that kept Nacua out for much of the first two months of this season. L.A. listed him as "limited" on its injury report, but that doesn't tell us much: Teams will often use that label for players who initially took part in practice before suffering an injury. Head coach Sean McVay is set to speak with the media on Friday afternoon.

Will Puka Nacua play in Week 9 vs. Seahawks?

At this point, it's too soon to tell, but Nacua's track record has to throw his availability into doubt. Nacua fell all the way to the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft at least in part because he had trouble staying on the field while at BYU. And while we don't yet know whether this is the same injury that's been bothering him since training camp, it would be one heck of a coincidence if it wasn't. Nacua's been battling knee problems for months now, reaggravating the injury in Week 1 and only making his return last Thursday against the Vikings. Considering how little time is left before the Rams kick off against the Seahawks on Sunday, and how important Nacua is to L.A.'s long-term outlook, the team won't be likely to rush him back.

Los Angeles Rams WR depth chart if Puka Nacua is out

It's obviously too early to speculate just how long Nacua might be out, if at all, but his absence would leave the Rams in an all-too-familiar spot: having to rely on the mind meld between Stafford and Kupp just to get by.

If there's a silver lining here, it's the recent play of Robinson, who has come on strong as the WR3 in this offense alongside Kupp and Nacua (two TDs against the Vikings). But taking advantage of the inevitable one-on-ones you get opposite two Pro Bowlers is obviously a far different story than becoming one of Stafford's primary targets, and it remains to be seen whether Robinson is up for the task.

Beyond that, though, expect Kupp to continue to get WR1 usage. Granted, we know he's still got plenty in the tank when his body cooperates: We're talking about the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP, after all. But he's also 31 now, and the extra wear and tear of absorbing some of Nacua's workload isn't going to help his ability to stay on the field. Tyler Johnson has flashed on the outside at times this season, but if Nacua has to miss time, L.A. is going to need Kupp to turn back the clock if it wants to keep pace in the NFC.