Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua’s status for Sunday night’s game at the Denver Broncos remains in question after he missed Monday’s win over the Giants with a groin injury, head coach Sean McVay said in his early-morning press conference on Tuesday.
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“I’m not sure what his status is as far as this next coming week,” McVay said. “I’m hopeful that he’ll play.”
Nacua dealt with a psoas issue during training camp but was healthy enough to play in Week 1, catching five passes for 74 yards. But the groin issue popped up during Friday’s practice.
He was able to get through that workout, but when he returned to the facility on Saturday, he was feeling sore, McVay said Monday.
“When you have soft tissue injuries with guys like that, that are skill players, you’re going to err on the side of caution,” McVay said. “I don’t know how his pregame warm-up went. I know that was a big part of even maybe making him active if he felt good enough with the pregame warm-up. But that obviously wasn’t the case, so if he’s ready to go, great. If not, then we’ll continue to roll.”
The Rams certainly did that against the Giants with four touchdowns and 481 yards of total offense. Receiver Davante Adams accounted for 195 yards and two scores as he sucked up much of the oxygen of the passing game in Nacua’s absence.
The only other Ram to go for over 20 yards receiving was tight end Terrance Ferguson, who caught six passes for 54 yards, matching his previous career high set twice during his rookie campaign. The 2025 second-round pick moved around behind the line of scrimmage prior to snaps as the Rams used his ability to both block and slip out into soft spots in the coverage to keep the Giants unbalanced.
It wasn’t a perfect night for Ferguson, with a couple of dropped passes. But the second-year tight end was able to shake it off for his first touchdown of the season.
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“Obviously, I had those two drops, and those were totally on me and something I want back,” Ferguson told reporters after the game. “But also, just the confidence they have to be able to come back to me really means a lot to me and builds that confidence up for me.”
McVay spoke with Ferguson briefly after one drop that cost the Rams a third-down conversion, but overall was pleased with how Ferguson bounced back and impacted the game with his ability to pick up yards after the catch.
“I have a lot of belief in Terrence Ferguson. Hopefully he feels that. I know his teammates do as well,” McVay said. “I thought he made a great catch when we ended up coming back to him and some other opportunities where he’s just going to keep getting better and better.”
Bailey’s opportunity
Ferguson wasn’t the only Ram to step up in the face of an injury on Monday. Undrafted rookie outside linebacker Wesley Bailey has been thrust into a rotational role with Myles Garrett on injured reserve.
Against the Giants, he only played 19 snaps and rushed the passer nine times. But he made the most of the opportunity with the first sack of his career, bull rushing through his blocker before catching Jameis Winston as he tried to step up and escape the pocket.
“Wes, that was awesome for him to be able to get his first career sack,” McVay said. “I’m really pleased and proud of that group. ‘Wes’ certainly did a nice job for us.”
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