Los Angeles Rams Place Wide Receiver Puka Nacua on Injured Reserve

The extent of the Los Angeles Rams' Week 1 misfortune 1 is coming into focus. The Rams officially placed wide receiver Puka Nacua, starting center Steve Avila, and offensive lineman Joe Noteboom on injured reserve following Sunday Night Football's 26-20 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions.

LA Rams Roster Moves:
• Reserve/Injured OL Steve Avila, WR Puka Nacua, OL Joe Noteboom
• Free Agent Signing OL Geron Christian, OL Dylan McMahon
• Signed Practice Squad Veteran DB Ahkello Witherspoon pic.twitter.com/ddrNvfNHB2
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 11, 2024

The move indicates all three players will miss at least four weeks as they recover from their injuries. Nakua, the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year, is the headline-grabber, but Avila and Noteboom are also important cogs for the offense. Avila started 17 games as a rookie in 2023, and Noteboom has served as a backup and situational starter for the Rams since 2018.

Nacua exacerbated a knee injury that had bothered him for much of the summer, costing him all but 25 snaps in Sunday's game. It's a disappointing start for a player coming off a rookie season for the ages. Nacua set rookie records for catches (105) and receiving yards (1486) despite entering the league as an unheralded fifth-round pick. His long-term potential was one of the most intriguing subplots of the Rams' 2023 season.

In Nacua's absence, the Rams will likely funnel targets to 2021 Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp. Kupp saw an outrageous 21 throws in his direction in Sunday's loss, and he'll continue to dominate targets for the next four weeks in Nacua's absence. That could create new problems for the Rams. Kupp has missed 13 games due to injury since the beginning of the 2022 season, and an excessive workload could put him at risk.

Navigating the next four weeks will be a tall task for the Rams and could even determine their playoff fate. The Rams offense was a mess prior to Nacua's arrival: They scored 18.1 points per game in 2022, 27th in the league. With games against the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers coming up, similar offensive struggles could put a sudden and brutal end to the Rams' playoff hopes.