LANDOVER, Md. â The Los Angeles Rams’ third straight win came at a brutal cost. Star wide receiver Puka Nacua is likely headed to injured reserve after an MRI on Monday revealed sprains to the MCL and PCL in his right knee, along with turf toe, head coach Sean McVay told reporters. Once placed on injured reserve, Nacua must miss at least four games, and McVay said he expects the All-Pro to be out “at least a month.”
The injury happened on the Rams’ final offensive snap of Sunday’s 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders. On third-and-11, with Los Angeles trying to run out the clock, Nacua took a jet sweep for five yards and absorbed a low hit from Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves. He stayed down on the turf, limped off the field, and was later seen wearing a brace on his right knee. McVay took responsibility for the call afterward. “I’m kicking myself,” he said. The team does not believe Nacua tore his ACL, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, but the MRI confirmed the damage to both ligaments.
It ended one of the best games of Nacua’s career. He caught 14 of 19 targets for 150 yards and a touchdown, adding 20 rushing yards, and carried the Rams to the win. It was his ninth career game with at least 150 receiving yards, passing Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Randy Moss for the second-most by a player within his first four seasons since 1970, per ESPN Insights. The victory lifted Los Angeles to 5-4, above .500 for the first time this season, with Myles Garrett recording three sacks in his first game back from knee surgery.
The timing could hardly be worse. The Rams are already without Davante Adams, who is on the shelf with a hamstring injury, so the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday arrives with Los Angeles down its top two receivers. Jordan Whittington, Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield and CJ Daniels are the next men up. If Nacua goes on injured reserve, he would not be eligible to return until Week 15 at the earliest, and would miss the Week 14 trip to San Francisco on Dec. 13. The Rams have a bye in Week 11, but injured reserve counts games, not weeks.
Video: Watch Puka Nacua’s best plays from the Commanders game on the Los Angeles Rams’ official YouTube channel:
Photo: Brevin Townsell / Los Angeles Rams
Source: USA Today, Reuters, NBC Sports and therams.com, November 9-10, 2026
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