Rams keep Puka Nacua off injured reserve despite extended absence

Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua will miss an extended period with knee and toe injuries but will not be placed on injured reserve, coach Sean McVay said Wednesday.

Nacua sprained his MCL and PCL and sustained turf toe on the Rams' final offensive snap in Sunday's 20-13 victory over the Washington Commanders. McVay said the knee injury was to Nacua's right leg.

The Rams were seeking a game-ending conversion on the third-down run when Nacua gained five yards and took a hard hit. He briefly stayed down before walking off the field.

Nacua finished with 14 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown against Washington. Quarterback Matthew Stafford targeted him 19 times.

The victory was the Rams' third in a row, bringing their record to 5-4. They have been without receiver Davante Adams since he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 6.

"We won't place him on IR due to some semantics with the roster and things like that, but he'll be out for an extended period of time," McVay said Wednesday.

McVay had said Monday that Nacua likely would go on injured reserve. He gave no specific timeline then, but said the Rams believed Nacua would miss at least a month.

An injured reserve designation would have kept Nacua out for the Rams' next four games. Their Week 11 bye would have pushed his earliest possible return to Week 15, according to Newsweek. The roster considerations McVay cited instead leave Nacua on the 53-man roster.

McVay connected the choice to the limited return designations available to the Rams, Sports Illustrated reported. A succession of injuries has reduced the team's available slots for players returning from injured reserve, ProFootballTalk said.

ESPN insider Dan Graziano, quoted by Newsweek, said people close to the situation "were very adamant that Nacua's injury isn't season-ending and that they hope to get him back around that Week 14, Week 15 time."

McVay said Monday he was "kicking himself" over the run call that exposed Nacua to a big hit with the Rams ahead 20-13. The decision stayed with him.

"I'd be lying to you if I said I haven't questioned the decision-making on that last play over and over in my head," he said.

"And so it's stuff that I feel tremendous responsibility for, and we've got to be able to figure out how to protect these guys," McVay said.

Nacua has 70 catches for 715 yards and four touchdowns in seven games this season. ESPN Research says his 70 receptions are the most in NFL history through a player's first seven games of a season. Nacua ranks first in the NFL in catches and receiving yards since Week 4, according to ESPN.

McVay said Wednesday that the Rams are targeting Adams' return after their Week 12 game against Green Bay, NFL.com reported. Fox News reported that the target was the Packers game.

Asked Monday about adding a receiver, McVay said, "I would never rule it out." But McVay said the Rams explored options and passed before Tuesday's trade deadline, mainly because they expect Adams back soon.

The remaining receiver group consists of Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell, CJ Daniels and Xavier Smith. The Rams re-signed Smith on Tuesday after placing Jordan Whittington on injured reserve with a back sprain.

The Rams face the Cardinals (3-6) at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday after Arizona beat them earlier this season. Rookie Carson Beck will make his first career start at quarterback for the Cardinals, with Gardner Minshew out.