LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is officially questionable with a hip injury for Monday Night Football against the New York Giants, after missing practice Friday and sitting out again Saturday. The prime-time matchup comes 11 days after the Rams' underwhelming season-opening defeat to the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia.
Head coach Sean McVay said the two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver is dealing with soreness in the groin area and the team is taking a cautious approach. "Really, he's got a little bit of soreness in that groin. Being smart with him as a skill player," McVay told reporters on Saturday. "Whether or not he plays is to be determined. And so we'll see how he's feeling."
McVay clarified the current issue is separate from the psoas injury that sidelined Nacua in training camp. "This is a different thing," McVay said, noting Nacua had a "really good" Thursday practice "but didn't feel totally like himself" when it came to "his ability to be able to kind of open up and really hit full speed." He added: "He had some soreness in there. And so that's why we've kind of been smart with him the last couple days." Nacua, who led the NFL with 129 receptions last season, caught five passes for 74 yards in Week 1 against the 49ers and was ruled short of the goal line on third-and-goal late in the third quarter. The Rams turned the ball over on downs the next play.
Nacua, now in his fourth season, is still seeking his first touchdown of the year after failing to find the end zone in the opener. Los Angeles is hoping to bounce back against a Giants team that defeated the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football last week, with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald set to make his return after two seasons away from the game.