Rams Lean on Puka Nacua While Eagles Play Backup QB Musical Chairs
The Rams are expecting a heavy workload for Puka Nacua today while awaiting Aaron Donald's return, as the Eagles juggle backup QBs and monitor DeVonta Smith's status.
HotTakes Editorial Team1 min read
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The Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles are limping into their Sunday matchup, and the latest updates read less like a game plan and more like a triage report.
According to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport on NFL GameDay Kickoff, the Rams are planning to feed Puka Nacua a massive workload today. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is just hoping generational defensive tackle Aaron Donald can make his return to the field next week.
"Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported the updates on NFL GameDay Kickoff."
The Eagles are dealing with their own offensive headache. Star receiver DeVonta Smith is already being labeled a question mark for next week, which is never what you want to hear on a Sunday morning.
To make matters weirder, Philadelphia is apparently flipping between backup quarterbacks Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton. Playing musical chairs with your QB2 spot is the kind of roster management that usually happens in August, not October.
Both teams desperately need a bounce-back performance today. The Rams are coming off a tight 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos, while the Eagles just got completely boatraced 27-7 by the Chicago Bears.
Relying on Nacua to carry the passing game while Donald watches in street clothes is a tough spot for Los Angeles. For context, trying to replace Donald's production on defense is like trying to patch a sinking ship with a single piece of duct tape.
Anyone looking at the prop markets today has to factor in a heavily inflated target share for Nacua. On the other side, the Eagles' backup quarterback carousel adds a bizarre layer of risk if their starter takes a hit.
We will see exactly how much volume Nacua can handle when these two teams kick off at 5:00 PM. If Donald and Smith remain sidelined heading into next week, the medical staff is going to have more influence on the point spreads than the coaching staff.
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Rams lost to Broncos 30-26 in their previous game
Eagles lost to Bears 27-7 in their previous game
What's next
The Rams and Eagles face off today at 5:00 PM, with both teams hoping to get their stars back for next week's matchups.

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