Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) makes a catch against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at SoFi Stadium.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Should the Los Angeles Rams trade for a wide receiver? Losing Puka Nacua is a major blow, with Davante Adams already on the shelf. Can the Rams hang on without Nacua for a month? Skip Bayless felt the need to weigh in on the subject, according to his post on X.
“It’s hard to see the Rams hanging on for a month or so without Puka (and Davante). Now, Sean McVay will have to win with mostly defense – with Myles Garrett. If Puka isn't back by Dec. 20, the Cowboys' game at Rams won't seem nearly as scary.”
What does a game against Dallas over a month away have to do with the Rams hanging on in the here and now? Only in Skip World.
Rams will have to battle to stay afloat
The loss of Nacua is a devastating blow as the Rams try to keep up with the 49ers and Seahawks in the tough NFC West.
Nacua suffered the injury on the Rams’ final offensive play when he was tackled after a short run on third and 11. Head coach Sean McVay has second-guessed his own play call, according to NBC Sports.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I haven’t questioned the decision-making on that last play over and over in my head of what could have been another option that you felt like could have gotten a conversion,” McVay said. “And maybe ended the game that would’ve led to him not taking a violent hit to his right knee. It’s stuff that I feel tremendous responsibility for, and we’ve got to be able to figure out how to protect these guys while also putting them in positions that help our team and allow them to be able to shine.
“He’s a guy we have to be intentional about because it’s a bummer. Because he can do so much, you want to make sure you don’t take that for granted.”
Just a glance at Nacua’s numbers and you see the importance to the Rams’ offense. He had already racked up 70 catches for 715 yards and four touchdowns in seven games.
Now it falls into the hands of… Tutu Atwell. Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase says that’s the way to go, according to theramswire.com.
“He's a guy who has shown up and had just that consistency with Matthew over the course of his career that I think Matthew has a lot of comfort with,” Scheelhaase said.