The Rams will be without another star on Monday Night Football.
Puka Nacua is officially inactive for Los Angeles' prime-time game against the Giants.
The wide receiver popped up on the injury report with what was labeled as a hip issue Friday, missing that practice and the team's Saturday session before receiving a questionable designation. Head coach Sean McVay described Nacua's injury as groin soreness, telling reporters it was not associated with the psoas issue that caused the 25-year-old to miss some time during the preseason.
Regardless of where exactly Nacua is hurting, he's unable to partake in an important game for the Rams as they look to avoid an 0-2 hole to start a season they entered with realistic Super Bowl aspirations.
Although Nacua was not his typically explosive self in Los Angeles' season opener against the 49ers, collecting five catches for 74 yards, he was the only Rams pass catcher to get anything going in the 27-7 loss. His yardage total was nearly half of Matthew Stafford's 155 through the air, and a sizable chunk of it came on a 41-yard connection before the game got out of hand.
His absence is a massive blow for Stafford as the reigning Most Valuable Player looks to get back on track, especially considering wideout Jordan Whittington will also miss the contest due to a quad injury.
Davante Adams is likely in line for a ton of targets and will be supplemented by other receivers such as Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith and Tutu Atwell. The Rams also roster a diverse tight end corps led by Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson, and running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are capable of contributing in the passing game, too.
Just a couple weeks into the season, the Rams are already juggling a couple injuries to big names. Along with Nacua being unable to go Monday, Los Angeles will be without Myles Garrett for at least four games after the star pass rusher underwent knee surgery and was placed on injured reserve.
There remains an impressive array of stars in L.A., but McVay's crew is certainly dealing with some difficulties in the early going.
They'll look to overcome them to move to 1-1 when they kick off against the Giants (1-0) on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET.
