Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua will not play on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Sean McVay told reporters in Baltimore on Friday.
Nacua suffered an ankle sprain in last weekend’s win over the Baltimore Ravens and has not practiced this week since the injury. The Rams (4-2) have a bye in Week 8 following the game against the Jaguars (4-2) in London.
“He’s done really well. I was able to sit with him a little bit last night. He’s making good progress,” McVay said. “I am very optimistic about hopefully having him ready after the bye. I think it’ll serve him well and I have confidence in our other receivers to be able to step up.”
The third-year receiver played in the Rams’ first six games this season, amassing 54 receptions, 616 receiving yards and three total touchdowns. Even after exiting the Week 6 win in the first quarter and playing limited snaps in the second half, Nacua still led the NFL in receptions entering Week 7.
Nacua missed five games in 2024 with a knee injury. But the Rams gave themselves some leeway during the offseason if he again had to miss time by signing All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, who is still developing his chemistry with quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“There’s been some good ones. There’s been some missed ones,” Stafford said Wednesday. “I would take the majority of the blame on a lot of those and just give him a better chance on a couple. He’s still doing a great job of winning. I missed him on the one corner route in the end zone and he made this guy look foolish. He’s doing a great job separating. I have to give him a couple of better chances.”
Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein will also miss the game against the Jaguars with his ankle sprain, marking his third straight absence.
“He wants to be out there more than anybody and he’s such a great leader. He’s got such a good vibe,” McVay said. “We are hopeful that this time off will serve him well. He’s played a lot of snaps in this league and so that ankle has been bothering him a little bit. I think he’s such a warrior that he ended up fighting through, but our job is to protect him.”