On Tuesday, Los Angeles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua was forced to leave practice with a minor groin injury. Practicing against the Dallas Cowboys, Nacua’s absence revealed a flaw within the team’s offense. They don’t have an adequate replacement for him.
Nacua’s injury doesn’t appear to be severe, but this comes after it was reported that he’s facing a potential suspension from the NFL stemming from his off-field issues.
In the McVay era, the Rams have failed to win without either Cooper Kupp or Nacua. Different sides of the same coin, Kupp’s stellar play led to the team winning Super Bowl LVI, while his injury-riddled campaigns of 2018 and 2022 exemplify the overall point. In 2018, Kupp played in eight games. In those contests, the Rams were 7-1. In the other eight that he missed, the team was 6-2.
However, it was Kupp’s absence that was the margin between reaching the Super Bowl and winning it. Without Kupp, the Rams had no answer for the New England Patriots’ defense in Super Bowl LIII, scoring a measly three points in the loss. In Super Bowl LX, Kupp was the leading receiver for the Seattle Seahawks as he won his second title against a Patriots defense that was just as talented as the 2018 unit. Both Patriots teams scored 13 points in those contests.
In 2022, Kupp played in nine games. It’s the only losing season McVay has ever suffered. That difference is the same difference Nacua provides. Nacua helped extend Matthew Stafford’s career when he burst onto the scene. Stafford said he thought he had three good years left in him when he came to Los Angeles. In 2022, Stafford’s second year, he suffered a season-ending injury, classified as a spinal cord contusion.
Entering 2023, Kupp was out for the team’s first four games with an injury. That should have been Stafford’s final year in theory. Then Nacua rewrote the record books for rookie receivers, and two years after that, Stafford won his first MVP.
Interestingly enough, Nacua missed significant time in 2024. The Rams suffered embarrassing losses without him. That was until his return sparked the comeback to win the NFC West that season.
That brings us to today. When Nacua missed one game in 2025, it forced the Rams to install a revolutionary offense, pivoting to 13 personnel. That’s how much he means to the Rams. Regardless of the severity of his injury, the team just exposed itself to a fatal flaw. They don’t know how to win without him, and players such as Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield may not be viable replacements.
They also didn’t take any steps in 2026 to find a backup who could adequately replace him in the meantime. They did add Max Klose, which will allow them to run their 13-personnel offense – the offense created to help replace Nacua – in case the tight end room suffers an injury like they did last season, but that isn’t a permanent solution.
The Rams are built to run 11 personnel, with Nacua being the decisive target needed to take the team to a title. Fans have to hope that in the event Nacua cannot play, the defense and McVay are good enough to scheme up a victory, because Stafford’s ability to sling the football downfield becomes non-existent without his star pass catcher. At least against the NFL’s best.
History says that won’t work, but most teams don’t have Myles Garrett like the Rams do. It’s just concerning, as this is the same margin that tanked championship pursuits over the last three seasons. For a roster that covered all the bases, the Rams might be one moment away from being back at square one.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Puka Nacua’s injury may have revealed Rams’ fatal flaw
Reporting by Brock Vierra, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brock Vierra, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
