After Los Angeles Rams’ star wide receiver Puka Nacua missed two straight practices this week with groin soreness, he was slapped with a ‘Questionable’ status for the Monday night clash against the New York Giants, throwing his team’s Super Bowl ambitions into chaos. But now, his sister-in-law, Ivie Blake, has shared a positive update for his game-day status.
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On an Instagram post featuring Puka’s brother, Samson Nacua, someone dropped a comment telling Ivie to ask Samson if he knows whether Nacua will play on Monday. In a screengrab shared by Dov Kleiman on X, Blake responds to the comment with “yeah that man’s playing.” When another comment beneath it tries to double-check with a “Promise?” Ivie doubles down with one word: “Promise.”
Now, while this is certainly a positive update, this goes against all the other updates surrounding the 25-year-old Pro Bowl receiver. Rams head coach Sean McVay, for instance, had noted that they are “being smart with him as a skill player,” adding that his game-day status is undecided.
On Sunday NFL Countdown, Senior NFL insider Adam Schefter offered a different update on the WR. Per Schefter, Nacua is “trending in the wrong direction,” and might just be sidelined for the game against the Giants rather than push through the groin injury.
In their Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Nacua had five catches out of 9 targets for 74 yards and piled up crucial first downs. Without Nacua’s explosive playmaking abilities after the catch, the rest of the team will definitely find their workload increased.
Konata Mumpfield and CJ Daniels remain behind him on the depth chart, while Davante Adams locks down the WR2 slot, and Tutu Atwell the WR3. But without their WR1, the run game from Kyren Williams and Blake Corum would also need an uptick, while the tight ends like Terrance Ferguson could be up for a bigger role.
Moreover, the Rams might also finally unleash their veteran defensive end, Aaron Donald, on the field at last in Week 2, giving the Giants’ offense something serious to worry about. If Nacua – per his sister-in-law’s update – does suit up, the Rams continue to look like the better team in this matchup.
If Nacua doesn’t feel 100% by game day, Sean McVay will have his work cut out for him to adjust on the fly. For now, all eyes remain trained on the Rams’ announcements before they take the field at SoFi Stadium.