Pursuing a fifth playoff appearance in six seasons, the Los Angeles Rams are off to a strong start and in a three-way tie atop the NFC West.
The Rams (4-2) will be without one of their key players this week after star receiver Puka Nacua sustained an ankle injury in a win at Baltimore last week and was officially ruled out on Friday.
Los Angeles coach Sean McVay hinted all week that Nacua was a longshot and will need to make alterations to his play-call sheet before Sunday’s meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) in London.
“There’s a difference between ‘return to play’ and ‘return to performance,'” McVay said of what would determine Nacua’s status. “You want to put him in a position to have successful outcomes.”
After breaking onto the scene as a rookie in 2023 with 1,486 receiving yards, Nacua leads the league in catches (54) and is second in receiving yards (616) through six weeks this season.
With a bye week coming up after this trip across the pond, not playing Nacua this week affords him nearly three weeks to recover before returning to prepare for the Rams’ next game.
Jacksonville coach Liam Coen knows the challenges presented by a McVay-led team thanks to two stints working on McVay’s staff. He was the Rams’ assistant wide receivers coach in 2018-19 and Los Angeles’ assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020 before returning in 2022 as offensive coordinator.
“You guys know the respect I have for Sean,” Coen said. “… The way he addresses the players, the way that he handles the players, the staff, the coaches from a positive state of mind but also the standards, the demand, the way that he ultimately wants that team to play, it shows up every single week.
“Win, lose or draw, they play hard.”
Jacksonville’s first-year general manager James Gladstone also was hired from the Rams’ organization, where he spent the previous nine years.
In their first year atop the organization, the 30-somethings have Jacksonville thinking big. McVay is certain the Jaguars won’t be distracted by the reunion angle with multiple familiar faces on both sides.
“It’s a fun narrative,” McVay said. “They do a great job in all three phases, you can see the identity, the personality of the team in a lot of ways is reflective of the good traits that Liam has. They’re playing tough, there’s a commitment to a style of play that they have really in all three phases.”
The Jaguars landed in London looking to bounce back from having their three-game win streak snapped in a 20-12 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week.
There was plenty of blame to go around. The run game managed just 59 yards and the defense failed to force a turnover for the first time this season.
However, the biggest culprit might have been an offensive line that surrendered seven sacks after allowing six total sacks in the first five games.
Los Angeles presents another challenge on that front with 19 sacks, tied for fourth in the league. Linebacker Byron Young ranks second in the league in sacks (7 1/2) and is tied for second in tackles for loss (nine).
The Rams won last week despite managing just 241 yards of offense against Baltimore. Los Angeles’ defensive unit has been solid across the board, as it is third in scoring defense (18.3 points per game), tied for third in takeaways (10) and eighth in total defense (306.8 yards per game).
Jacksonville will be without linebacker Devin Lloyd, who leads the league with four interceptions but didn’t make the trip due to a calf injury.
Jaguars center Robert Hainsey (hamstring) was able to practice at the end of the week and is ready to go Sunday. Two other starters, wide receiver Dyami Brown (shoulder) and safety Eric Murray (neck), were limited to begin the London trip.
The Rams also ruled out right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) for the third consecutive game but wide receiver Tutu Atwell (hamstring) was able to complete a practice after missing Wednesday’s workout.
Jacksonville is set for its 14th United Kingdom game over the last 13 seasons. The Jaguars are 7-6 in those contests.
This will be the Rams’ first game in the UK since a 24-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. Los Angeles is 2-2 overseas.
–Field Level Media
