BALTIMORE — Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua temporarily left the team’s 17-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens with an ankle injury, but was able to return and play sparingly in the second half.
The injury occurred in the second quarter. Quarterback Matthew Stafford tried to find Nacua in the end zone. But with defensive back Marlon Humphrey well-positioned in coverage, Nacua had to jump up to bat away the pass. Their bodies got entangled, and Humphrey landed on Nacua’s left leg.
The receiver, who entered the weekend leading the NFL in receptions and receiving yards, tried to get up and walk off the field but fell back to the grass as the Rams’ training staff came out to him.
Stafford and Rams head coach Sean McVay stood over him as Nacua was examined. So did Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who played at BYU with Nacua’s older brother Kai. Nacua eventually got up and limped straight to the locker room with the Rams’ training staff.
He returned to the Rams’ sideline in the second quarter with his helmet on, but did not enter the game again until the third quarter. His first snap back, his presence drew so much attention from the Ravens’ secondary that tight end Tyler Higbee was left alone in the flat for a touchdown.
Nacua, who declined through a team spokesperson to speak with reporters in the postgame locker room, played sparingly the rest of the day, running one route into the end zone in the fourth quarter and blocking on a couple of run plays.
McVay said he is uncertain at the moment if Nacua will be able to play next weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
“Puka tried to be able to give it a go, just didn’t feel good enough,” McVay said. “He maybe could have really pressed through, but we were kind of more being smart more than anything.”
Rams running back Blake Corum also injured his ankle in the first half, but returned to the game after halftime.
Moving up
Stafford passed Hall of Famer Dan Marino for ninth on the NFL’s all-time passing yards list on Sunday.
“I remember being a little kid watching NFL Films growing up; everybody was watching cartoons, I was watching that,” Stafford said. “Kind of one of those pinch-yourself moments where you’re sitting there going, ‘Man, I remember watching him doing his thing and thinking he was unbelievable.’ And to be in the same breath is pretty cool.”