The Los Angeles Rams came into the season with Super Bowl expectations. The team is littered with star talent. On defense, they added all of Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson in the offseason. The offense features reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, as well as the best receiver duo in football with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.
Unfortunately, fans haven't seen all of this megastar talent on the field at the same time yet. Donald missed Week 1 while revamping from retirement, and Garrett and Nacua were injured during the Week 2 matchup. Now, it seems as though the elite receiver could be forced to miss the Week 3 game against the Denver Broncos, too.
Nacua's injury was originally listed as a hip injury, but it has since been confirmed as groin soreness. The Rams confirmed that he is not dealing with a hernia, nor is this a long-term concern, but the Rams are being cautious nonetheless. Ian Rapoport reported that Nacua didn't practice on Wednesday, and he feels as though Nacua is gearing toward not playing against Denver.
“[Nacua] did not play in the Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, dealing with a hip injury; he was listed as questionable then, but he didn't practice the last couple of days of the week,” Rapoport said. “It didn't sound like he was making great progress to be able to play this Sunday for the Los Angeles Rams. They want to make sure they are cautious with him, so it would be surprising if he goes.”
From @GMFB: The latest on injuries to #Rams WR Puka Nacua, #49ers WR Mike Evans, and #Ravens WR Zay Flowers. pic.twitter.com/72MdwJUdla
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 24, 2026
With a talented but older roster, the Rams care much more about being fully healthy late in the season than they care about early-season wins. Even so, missing Nacua certainly hurts the team and puts them at risk of dropping their second game in three weeks, something few would have guessed coming into the year.