Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua could miss five to seven weeks depending on how quickly his posterior cruciate ligament injury heals, sources told ESPN.
Nacua re-injured his knee during Sunday night's overtime loss to the Detroit Lions and was placed on injured reserve last week.
Rams coach Sean McVay said it was possible Nacua could miss the minimum four weeks required by being placed on injured reserve. The Rams have their bye in Week 6, so the earliest the second-year star could return would be Los Angeles' Week 7 home game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
But now the Rams' thinking, according to sources, is that Nacua's status for the games against the Raiders and next Thursday night at home against the Minnesota Vikings could also be in jeopardy.
The Rams want to make sure they are careful with Nacua and not rush him back. The team wants to do whatever it takes to ensure there are no further setbacks to the injury Nacua initially suffered at the beginning of training camp.
The Rams find themselves in a similar situation to the one they faced last year, when they opened the season without standout wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who missed the first four games due to a hamstring injury. With Kupp out, Nacua went from a fifth-round pick out of Brigham Young to a rising NFL star, setting records last season for most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) by a rookie in NFL history.
The Rams will need veteran receivers Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson to step up to replace Nacua. Robinson had four catches for 42 yards against Detroit, while Johnson finished second on the team behind Kupp in both receptions (five) and yards (79).
