When the Denver Broncos take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, the Rams already won't have star pass rusher Myles Garrett. They might not have star wide receiver Puka Nacua, either.
Rams head coach Sean McVay offered a rather discouraging update on Nacua's progress after he missed their Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants, saying, "He's not making great progress."
Of course, nobody is ever wishing for injury to another player, but the Broncos also aren't going to complain about facing the Rams without Puka Nacua. Nacua is a game-changing weapon when healthy, and not having him allows the Broncos one very distinct advantage defensively:
They can match up Pat Surtain II with Davante Adams all game.
Broncos' defense would catch a huge break if Puka Nacua can't play in Week 3
Nacua is officially listed on the injury report as having a "hip" injury, but it's a soft tissue injury that is affecting both the hip and groin area.
He was listed as questionable for the Rams' Week 2 matchup against the Giants before being ruled out before the game, and now he might be in line to miss another week. If you take Sean McVay's comments at face value, it certainly seems like the outlook is grim.
And to state the obvious, not having Nacua is a huge deal for a team like the Rams.
As good as the Broncos' secondary is, having two weapons like Nacua and Davante Adams opens up so much for the rest of the offense.
Davante Adams averaged 19.5 yards per target against the New York Giants, meaning the Rams were able to get him open on long-developing routes and expose the Giants' secondary. None of their corners could cover him for that extended period of time.
If Nacua is healthy, the Rams don't have to worry as much about the idea of Adams being neutralized by Pat Surtain. They can simply feature Nacua in the passing game, and pick on Riley Moss if they have to.
Surtain still has to do his job against Adams to really force the Rams to focus on other players in the passing game, but no Nacua is absolutely advantage-Broncos.
Even though we saw the Rams' offense get back on track in a big way against the Giants on Monday night without Nacua,
Broncos' linebackers & safeties will have to be ready vs. Rams
Even though not having to face Puka Nacua would benefit the Broncos, it would also put a lot more pressure on the linebackers and safeties.
The Rams have been at the forefront of utilizing a lot of 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TE) looks, and they feed those guys the ball in the passing game. Specifically, Terrance Ferguson is 2nd on the team in targets (10) early this season, and the Rams will get him the ball along with players like Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, and even Davis Allen.
If they can't use Nacua, and if Adams is getting the Pat Surtain treatment, then the focus will shift to those playmakers at the tight end position, and the Rams will counter by trying to exploit Denver's linebackers and safeties in coverage.
The Broncos' defense will have to be ready for whatever Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford counter with if Nacua is out, but no matter what adjustments are required, it's a benefit to the Broncos -- in a big way -- to not have to face him, if that ends up being the case.
Add us as a preferred source on Google