The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 30-20, in Week 8, as they saw wide receiver Puka Nacua return from injury after previously missing five games due to a sprained PCL sustained in Week 1. In this week's practice, however, Nacua appeared to have suffered another knee injury prior to the Rams' Week 9 matchup versus the Seattle Seahawks, which caused the team to list him as a “limited” participant on the injury report. The good news, though, is that this new ailment didn't seem to be serious.

“Rams WR Puka Nacua's knee injury is not believed to be serious, per sources,” according to NFL insider Adam Schefter on X, formerly Twitter. “His status on Sunday's game at Seattle still is to be determined, but it does not appear to be any type of significant injury.”

Rams' injury woes

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) reacts after the game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

During Puka Nacua's injury absence, the Rams struggled, going 2-3 until his Week 9 return against the Vikings. He didn't show any signs of rust as he logged a team-high 106 yards after completing seven of nine targets.

Moreover, the team didn't overextend him, only keeping him on the field in 57% of their offensive snaps, though it might indicate him receiving a larger role in succeeding games. Likewise, Nacua also reunited with Cooper Kupp, also returning from injury that sidelined him for a big chunk of the season.

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During the team's struggles, Kupp also dealt with trade rumors, as other NFL teams waited for the Rams to call the season and blow it up. However, the team has climbed to 3-4 in the NFC West, while the other three teams only stand a half-game ahead of them at 4-4.

This wide-open standings situation has suddenly given life to the Rams' bid for postseason contention, and a victory in their divisional showdown against the Seahawks will help their campaign massively.

As such, the team might decide that they want to contend this year, after all. With Nacua and Kupp back in the lineup, Matthew Stafford now has his trusted weapons at his disposal again, which might pose problems for other teams in their division.

The only problem is both Nacua and Kupp have extensive injury histories, and the team must keep them healthy while playing them moving forward, especially if they want to make headway in the NFC West standings.

In 2023, Nacua completed 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns, helping the Rams make a surprise playoff appearance and finishing No. 2 in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.