<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rams-news-puka-nacua-status-monday-night-football-bengals-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rams WR Puka Nacua’s official status for Monday Night Football vs Bengals amid injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Rams-Puka-Nacua-Puka-Nacua-injury-Puka-Nacua-Rams-Monday-Night-Football.jpg"></figure><h1>Rams WR Puka Nacua’s official status for Monday Night Football vs Bengals amid injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-09-25T16:07:27-07:00">September 25th, 4:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-09-25T16:07:27-07:00">September 25th, 4:07pm</time><address><a>Tim Capurso</a>Tim Capurso is the Lead NFL and College Football Editor at ClutchPoints while also covering a wide range of sports. Originally from a small town in New York, Tim graduated from Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2018 with a BA in Writing and Mass Communications. He joined ClutchPoints in 2021. The lifelong New York Giants fan now resides in enemy territory, aka the heart of Eagles country, just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Rams fans- and fantasy managers- can breathe a sigh of relief. Rams rookie wide receiver <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rams-news-puka-nacua-injury-status-update-week-3-bengals">Puka Nacua, listed as questionable</a> with an oblique injury, is <a href="https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1706440653276885441">officially active</a> for the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, per the team’s Twitter account.</p><p>There were questions surrounding Nacua’s status, as the rookie wideout has been dealing with the injury since last week. However, it did not keep him from playing against the San Francisco 49ers.</p><p>Rams head coach Sean McVay had indicated that, while he wants to be smart with Nacua’s workload over the course of the season, that he expected the BYU product to suit up against the Bengals.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rams-make-curious-roster-moves-before-monday-night-football-clash-vs-bengals">Rams</a> fans and fantasy managers with Nacua on their roster waited with bated breath for his status, given the team’s roster moves from earlier.</p><p>Los Angeles had elevated running back Royce Freeman and wide receiver Austin Trammell from the practice squad, with the latter move raising eyebrows among those hopeful to see Nacua play on Monday Night Football.</p><p>Alas, those concerns have been eased.</p><p>Nacua, a fifth-round pick out of BYU in the 2023 NFL Draft, set the rookie record for receptions through two games played, as he has racked up 25 catches- on a whopping 35 targets- for 266 receiving yards.</p><p>The Rams offense, which was dealt a tough injury blow when star wideout Cooper Kupp was placed on the Injured Reserve due to a hamstring ailment, has been humming along with Nacua as its best receiver.</p><p>Now, the rookie will be looking to make a big impact once again in a primetime clash against the Bengals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rams WR Puka Nacua’s official status for Monday Night Football vs Bengals amid injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rams-news-puka-nacua-injury-status-update-week-3-bengals');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rams’ Puka Nacua gets injury status update for Week 3 vs. Bengals, but there’s a twist');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Puka-NAckua.jpg"></figure><h1>Rams’ Puka Nacua gets injury status update for Week 3 vs. Bengals, but there’s a twist</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-09-23T12:46:20-07:00">September 23rd, 12:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-09-23T12:47:49-07:00">September 23rd, 12:47pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football, with an emphasis on MLB as a Lead Editor. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1705660345413480932" rel="noopener">listed as questionable</a> for Week 3 versus the Cincinnati Bengals, per Adam Schefter. However, Rams fans and Nacua’s fantasy football managers will love Sean McVay’s update on Nacua. Despite the questionable injury status, McVay said Nacua is expected to play, per Schefter as well.</p><p>Nacua is dealing with an oblique injury and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rams-news-sean-mcvay-puka-nacua-injury" rel="noopener">Rams certainly want to be careful</a>. The last thing Los Angeles wants to do is risk the long-term health of the star 22-year-old receiver. The fact that McVay expects Nakua to play is promising though.</p><h2><b>Puka Nacua questionable for Rams-Bengals game</b></h2><p>Puka Nacua has been reliable for the Rams throughout the first two weeks of the season. In fact, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2023-nfl-week-2-hot-takes-puka-nacua-next-cooper-kupp" rel="noopener">he’s demonstrated superstar potential</a>. His performance has been especially important since Cooper Kupp is out with an injury.</p><p>The Rams will need him on the field for their game against the Bengals. He isn’t the biggest red zone threat, but Nacua is lethal over the middle and excels at moving the chains. Matthew Stafford has been able to rely on Puka Nacua this season.</p><p>The Monday Night Football clash is a rematch of the 2021-22 Super Bowl, but won’t have the same star-power. Kupp, as already mentioned, is injured. Meanwhile, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bengals-news-joe-burrow-injury-designation-monday-night-football-rams" rel="noopener">Joe Burrow is listed as questionable</a> for the Bengals. Still, the game projects to be a competitive affair.</p><p>Cincinnati will host Los Angeles on Monday. LA is trying to improve to 2-1 on the season, while the Bengals are simply looking to win their first game. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 PM EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rams’ Puka Nacua gets injury status update for Week 3 vs. Bengals, but there’s a twist

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rams-news-sean-mcvay-puka-nacua-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rams’ Sean McVay keeps it real on potential Puka Nacua workload decrease');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Rams-news-Sean-McVay-keeps-it-real-on-potential-Puka-Nacua-workload-decrease.jpg"></figure><h1>Rams’ Sean McVay keeps it real on potential Puka Nacua workload decrease</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-09-21T14:06:15-07:00">September 21st, 2:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-09-21T14:20:35-07:00">September 21st, 2:20pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football, with an emphasis on MLB as a Lead Editor. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Rams <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rams-rookie-puka-nacua-sets-insane-wide-receiver-records-no-other-player-has-ever-done-before" rel="noopener">breakout receiver</a> Puka Nacua <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamGrosbard/status/1704954111643484461" rel="noopener">reportedly is not practicing</a> Thursday due to an oblique injury, per Adam Grosbard of the <i>Orange Country Register</i>. Nacua is expected to play on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals though.</p><p>Sean McVay also <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamGrosbard/status/1704958397458915831" rel="noopener">provided an update</a> on Nacua, per Grosbard as well.</p><p>“That’s absolutely something that you think about,” McVay said about potentially limiting Nacua’s workload amid injury concerns as a rookie. “He’s done an excellent job through the first couple weeks but … you say ok, where are some of those spots to maybe supplement their workload?”</p><p>Puka Nacua has been one of the best stories in the NFL so far in 2023. With Cooper Kupp injured, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2023-nfl-week-2-hot-takes-puka-nacua-next-cooper-kupp" rel="noopener">Nacua has stepped in</a> and played a pivotal role in LA’s offense.</p><p>Through two games played, the 22-year-old leads the league with 25 receptions. He’s recorded 266 yards as well. Although he doesn’t have a touchdown yet, there is no denying his overall impact on the Rams.</p><p>Los Angeles was expected by many to labor throughout the 2023 campaign. Instead, they cruised to a 30-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. The Rams followed that up by narrowly losing to arguably the best team in football, the San Francisco 49ers, 30-23. Los Angeles challenged the 49ers and displayed potential in the game despite the defeat.</p><p>They are set to take on the Bengals in Week 3. Cincinnati would have been projected to be a heavy favorite in this contest prior to the season. But Cincinnati is 0-2 and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bengals-news-joe-burrow-playing-week-3-injury" rel="noopener">Joe Burrow is questionable</a> with a calf injury, leaving the door open for a possible Rams upset.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rams’ Sean McVay keeps it real on potential Puka Nacua workload decrease

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rams-news-puka-nacua-joining-exclusive-club-matthew-stafford-cooper-kupp');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rams’ Puka Nacua opens up on joining exclusive ‘breakfast club’ with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Puka-Nacua-saying-and-looking-at-Matthew-Stafford-and-Cooper-Kupp.jpg"></figure><h1>Rams’ Puka Nacua opens up on joining exclusive ‘breakfast club’ with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-09-21T09:51:35-07:00">September 21st, 9:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-09-21T09:51:35-07:00">September 21st, 9:51am</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Rams got bad news with Cooper Kupp <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cooper-kupp-injury-how-fast-nfl-players-return-from-hamstring-strains" rel="noopener">beginning the season on IR</a>. However, through the first two games, rookie Puka Nacua has burst onto the scene and looks every bit the part of a quality receiver. So far, Nacua has 25 catches for 266 yards on 35 targets and has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2023-nfl-week-2-hot-takes-puka-nacua-next-cooper-kupp" rel="noopener">become the go-to weapon</a> for Matthew Stafford with Kupp on the shelf.</p><p>Nacua mentions the <a href="https://theathletic.com/4879483/2023/09/21/puka-nacua-rams-receiver-rookie-cooper-kupp/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">early morning sessions</a> during OTAs and the work with Stafford and Kupp that have allowed the chemistry to develop early on, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.</p><p>“Every morning (of OTAs) I was coming in, after practice coming in to see him,” Nacua said. “It slowly started branching out from there. (Peetz) got me some reps with the ones, and I was able to work with Stafford and with Coop. (Then, Stafford) is giving me coaching points because we got live reps together…I’m kind of following Coop, like, ‘Hey, when do you guys come in? Hey, Coop, can I watch with you guys?’”</p><p>Cooper Kupp revealed his early morning sessions with Stafford that led to him posting an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rams-news-cooper-kupp-gets-brutally-honest-on-exceeding-all-time-great-2021-season" rel="noopener">eye-popping 1,947 yards</a> and 16 touchdowns during the 2021 season, and now Nacua is following in the footsteps of this QB-WR duo.</p><p>The hard work has more than paid off for the rookie out of BYU. Nacua was selected in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rams-2023-nfl-draft-grades-every-pick" rel="noopener">fifth round by the Rams</a> and was overlooked quite a bit, but so far, the Rams have to love what they have seen from him. The Rams face the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts before Kupp could be activated, at the earliest, and it will be interesting to see how Nacua’s workload changes when Kupp returns to the field.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rams’ Puka Nacua opens up on joining exclusive ‘breakfast club’ with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/2023-nfl-week-2-hot-takes-puka-nacua-next-cooper-kupp');   ga('set', 'title', 'Puka Nacua is the next Cooper Kupp and 4 2023 NFL Week 2 hot takes');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Thumbs-17-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Puka Nacua is the next Cooper Kupp and 4 2023 NFL Week 2 hot takes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-09-18T12:41:53-07:00">September 18th, 12:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-09-18T12:41:53-07:00">September 18th, 12:41pm</time><address><a>Blake Lovell</a>Blake Lovell is a former associate editor at ClutchPoints, primarily covering the NFL, college football, college basketball, and fantasy sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It was another wild week of 2023 NFL action as Week 2 delivered lots of interesting storylines. Which players could be breakout stars? Which teams have surprised and disappointed?</p><p>Here are four hot takes from what we’ve seen thus far.</p><h2><b>4. Anthony Richardson can be the next great NFL QB</b></h2><p>This will be a polarizing one. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colts-anthony-richardson-heads-to-locker-room-for-concussion-evaluation-vs-texans" rel="noopener">Richardson’s status is unknown</a> for Week 3 after leaving the game against the Houston Texans with a concussion. Those are always scary in the NFL, so his health is the top priority right now. He also had knee and ankle soreness late in the Week 1 game. If we look further into the future – one where Richardson learns from these first two games and better protects himself – he can be the next big thing at the quarterback position. The physical tools are there, as showcased by his 18-yard run and 15-yard run for touchdowns in the first six minutes in Houston during Week 2. He’ll continue to develop as a passer, and that could make him unstoppable…..but only if he can take fewer big hits.</p><h2><b>3. Puka Nacua is the next Cooper Kupp</b></h2><p>From one bold rookie declaration to another, this may be less of a hot take for those who have watched Nakua’s first two games as an NFL wide receiver. The BYU product <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/winners-losers-from-2023-nfl-week-2-rookies-bust-out" rel="noopener">has been special</a>. Truly special. With his 15 receptions (a single-game NFL record for a rookie) for 147 yards against the San Francisco 49ers, Nakua improved his two-week total to 25 receptions (another NFL record through two games), 266 yards, and four touchdowns. What else is there to see? Kupp molded himself into the best receiver in the league in 2021, and while Nacua may not reach that level this season, it’s impossible to ignore the potential after a ridiculous start.</p><h2><b>2. The Baker Mayfield-led Bucs are for real</b></h2><p>Don’t look now, but the Bucs – a team that many projected to finish bottom five in the NFL – have looked good through Week 2. Most importantly, Baker Mayfield has looked good. He has the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade (<a href="https://www.pff.com/nfl/grades/position/qb" rel="noopener">82.6</a>) of any quarterback in the league after two games, and he doesn’t have a single turnover. To add to that, he’s only been sacked once. The defensive matchups get tougher the next two weeks with the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints on tap, but Mayfield’s play should give Bucs’ fans confidence in their ability to compete in the NFC South. So should an opportunistic defense, Mike Evans doing Mike Evans things (6 receptions, 171 yards, 1 TD), and a bounce-back game for Rachaad White in the Week 2 win against the Chicago Bears.</p><h2><b>1. The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers will both miss the playoffs</b></h2><p>In case you don’t know the stat: Since 1990, only 31 (out of 270 teams) that have started 0-2 have made the playoffs. Statistically, picking the Bengals and Chargers to both miss the playoffs after Week 2 should not be a hot take, even if it does seem weird to write them off this early in the season. The schedules do not help, either. Cincinnati’s remaining road games include at Tennessee, at San Francisco, at Baltimore, at Jacksonville, at Pittsburgh, and at Kansas City. The home game slate features intriguing games against the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle, Buffalo, Minnesota, and Cleveland.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Chargers have to play a desperate 0-2 Minnesota Vikings team in Week 3 (in Minnesota), then have a remaining schedule that includes Dallas (home), Kansas City (away), New York Jets (away), Detroit (home), Green Bay (away), Baltimore (home), New England (away), Buffalo (home), and Kansas City (home).</p><p>Even with improved play, it’s going to be an uphill climb for these two teams to navigate tricky schedules moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Puka Nacua

Latest Puka Nacua News

Rams WR Puka Nacua’s official status for Monday Night Football vs Bengals amid injury

Rams’ Puka Nacua gets injury status update for Week 3 vs. Bengals, but there’s a twist

Rams’ Sean McVay keeps it real on potential Puka Nacua workload decrease

Rams’ Puka Nacua opens up on joining exclusive ‘breakfast club’ with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp

Puka Nacua is the next Cooper Kupp and 4 2023 NFL Week 2 hot takes

Puka
Nacua