The Los Angeles Rams have been one of the NFL’s top teams this season, sitting at 5-2 through their first seven games. However, they’ve been without superstar wide receiver Puka Nacua after he suffered a sprained ankle in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Getting Nacua back as soon as possible will be crucial for the Rams as they aim to make a Super Bowl run. Here’s the latest on his status ahead of Los Angeles’ Week 9 matchup against the New Orleans Saints and a timeline for his return.
Will Puka Nacua Play in Week 9?
Before his ankle injury, Nacua outperformed every other wide receiver in the NFL this season. In five and a half games, he caught 54 passes for 616 yards and two touchdowns, ranking as the league’s top wideout in PFSN’s WRi metric.
He missed most of the Rams’ game against the Ravens in Week 6 and was ruled out for the Week 7 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars due to the ankle injury. With Los Angeles on a Week 8 bye, Nacua had extra time to recover, and it now appears he’ll be available for Week 9 against the Saints.
On October 27, Rams head coach Sean McVay provided an update on Nacua’s recovery, explaining that barring any setbacks, he’s expected to practice on Wednesday and be ready to play on Sunday.
“We expect him to be ready to go,” McVay said. “We expect him to be ready to practice. He’ll do some stuff.” He later added, “We do expect him to be back on Wednesday, and expect him to play this week unless there are setbacks.”
It’s excellent news for the Rams, as Nacua is a key driver of the team’s offensive success. Through seven games, Los Angeles’ offense ranks seventh in the league according to PFSN’s OFFi metric.
While the offense remained effective in Nacua’s absence, it was less consistent. According to PFSN’s OFFi metric, the Rams offense posted its second-worst performance of 2025 in Week 6 against the Ravens, the game in which Nacua exited.
Nacua’s impact goes beyond the offense as a whole. He also affects quarterback Matthew Stafford’s play. In the games against the Ravens and Jaguars, Stafford posted his second and third-worst performances of the season according to PFSN’s QBi metric.
The star wide receiver brings a dynamic element to the Rams’ passing attack that wasn’t there without him. His return in Week 9, and hopefully for the remainder of the season, makes Los Angeles one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL.
It hasn’t been officially 100% confirmed that Nacua will play against the Saints on November 2, but based on McVay’s comments and depending on how Wednesday’s practice goes, all signs point to him returning to the offense in Week 9.
