Rams suffer the unthinkable as Puka Nacua heads to locker room with new injury

With time remaining in the fourth quarter

You might think that the Los Angeles Rams would learn from past mistakes. An elite playmaker like wide receiver Puka Nacua is so easy to depend on that in the heat of battle, the offense often depends on him in defiance of conventional wisdom.

In the game, Nacua hauled in seven of eight passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. But it is the team's lack of a power back that compelled the offense to call the former Brigham Young University receiver's number on a fourth down and one yard to go. He ran a jet sweep for three yards, but he fell on the football during the tackle and was shaken up.

In his first game back, he was injured once more. This time, the broadcast booth reported that he suffered a chest injury and is questionable to return as he headed to the locker room..

And in a game in which the Rams were already on track to win, the team lost its most valuable offensive weapon.

Puka Nacua's injury points to challenges in Rams offense

Perhaps the most heartbreaking element of Nacua's Week 9 injury is that the offense proved it can score without him. The 13-personnel template was so successful in Week 7, the logical strategy seemed to dictate the offense simply repeating it once more. But when push came to shove, Sean McVay could not resist calling Nacua's number one more time.

And the lack of a power back was apparent. The team needed a runner to move the pile, make short yardage in the red zone. Without a running back who can be counted on to deliver, the offense turned to the toughest player to tackle. And in the process, fans watched in horror as he was walked to the locker room for further evaluation.

Nacua returned to the sideline, with his football helmet on, as the offense punched it in for another touchdown. It was the first rushing touchdown of the game, and the fifth touchdown scored in the game.

Will LA's leading receiver be good to go next week? It's too early to tell. He returned in Week 6 after being shaken up, only to be held out of Week 7. So the positive news of Nacua on the sidelines with his helmet on is premature at this point to determine his future status.

Los Angeles has a healthy lead, and that should dictate the team's treatment of its best offensive player. Simply for safety's sake, he may not return to the game. To be perfectly honest, that makes sense. Better to be sure that he is healthy, particularly in a game that appears to be all over but the shouting in the fourth quarter.

As always, thanks for reading.