AROUND THE SHIELD – After one week of the NFL regular season, former BYU wide receiver Puka Nacua is placed on the Los Angeles Rams’ injured list, while former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love is under scrutiny with the Green Bay Packers.
Nacua suffered a strained posterior cruciate ligament in the same knee he injured in the summer, Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay told reporters Monday after the Rams’ opening loss to the Detroit Lions.
The former Orem High star who originally played at Washington caught four passes for 35 yards and added a 7-yard run on a jet sweep on Sunday, but left the game with a limp midway through the second quarter of the Lions’ 26-20 overtime victory on Sunday Night Football. Nacua briefly returned to the game but was eventually carried off the field by medical personnel and downgraded to “out” at halftime.
McVay said the injury was a re-aggravation of one Nacua sustained on Aug. 4 during a joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers, but it was “a little more severe than the previous situation,” he said, according to ESPN. He will not need surgery to repair the aggravated posterior cruciate ligament, but placing Nacua on the injured list means he will be out for at least four weeks.
“You can see he’s an impact player,” McVay said of Nacua, who set NFL rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) last year. “He gets four passes targeted, he has four catches for almost 50 yards. He’s got a jet sweep, he does stuff in the run game. He’s a factor. He’s just one of those guys that just makes the difference. And so it’s unfortunate for him, and more importantly, I’m disappointed for the person.”
Coach McVay says Puka Nacua will be placed on the injured list; Steve Avila is a candidate for the injured list, plus other news.
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) 9 September 2024
Packers’ Love struggles with MCL injury
The Packers will not place Love on the team’s injured list, but head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that the former Aggies star injured his left medial ligament in the final minute of the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Friday in Brazil.
The coach said backup quarterback Malik Willis will start Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts “if Jordan is not cleared,” according to the Associated Press. But medial ligament injuries typically sideline players for multiple games.
While LaFleur did not give a timetable for Love’s return to play, he also did not indicate that he would return until the weekend.
“I know he’s doing everything he can,” LaFleur said Monday, according to the team’s website. “I know he’s spending a lot of time trying to get back as quickly as possible. But we’re certainly not going to put him in a situation where he goes out there if he can’t protect himself.”
Johnson out for Bills
Former Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson has been ruled out for Thursday night’s Week 2 game against the Miami Dolphins after the former college star was forced to leave the game early in the first quarter due to a forearm injury.
Johnson made one tackle on defense before leaving the field with an injury. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott did not provide a timeline for the injury and said the team will continue to evaluate his recovery.
Ravens’ Van Noy recovers from eye injury
Lamar Jackson wasn’t the only player missing from Monday’s practice in Baltimore.
Former BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy was one of five notable players missing practice after suffering an eye injury in the Ravens’ 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The others were Jackson, cornerback Nate Wiggins, wide receiver Deonte Harty and linebacker Adisa Isaac, according to the team’s website.
Van Noy started at sam linebacker against the Chiefs and had one tackle and one quarterback hurry in 20 defensive snaps before leaving the game with an injury, a fracture of the orbital bone, according to Steve Wyche of the NFL Network.
