Seahawks, Rams Dealing With WR Uncertainty Entering Week 9 Matchup

The Seahawks and Rams both hope to have all hands on deck at receiver on Sunday, but DK Metcalf and Puka Nacua's statuses remain up in the air.

Sep 10, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) protects the ball from Los Angeles Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht (97) during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Closing in on Sunday's critical Week 9 NFC West battle at Lumen Field, it remains to be seen whether or not the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams will have their full arsenal of receiving weapons available with DK Metcalf and Puka Nacua dealing with knee injuries.

Only two days after telling reporters that he was optimistic Metcalf would be able to return from sprained MCL on Sunday, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald wasn't quite as confident in his weekly radio show on KIRO 97.3 on Friday morning, acknowledging the receiver may not be ready to go as anticipated. The veteran missed just the second game of his six-year career in a 31-10 loss to the Bills last weekend and has yet to practice this week.

"Unfortunately it's still a little bit cloudy on what's going on on that front," Macdonald said. "I know he's trying like heck to get out there as soon as he can, but we're still taking it day by day."

Without Metcalf, Seattle struggled to move the ball downfield through the air against Buffalo, as quarterback Geno Smith didn't have a single completion of 21 or more yards. 15 of his 27 targets went to running backs and tight ends, while Tyler Lockett caught just one pass for nine yards and the duo of Jake Bobo and Laviska Shenault combined for two catches for 25 yards, as the receiving corps as a whole failed to compensate for Metcalf's absence.

Getting Metcalf back in the lineup would provide a major boost against a Rams secondary that has allowed six touchdown receptions of 16 or more yards, tied for the sixth-most in the NFL this season. Last year, he scored a touchdown in each of the Seahawks two losses to their division rivals and dating back to the start of the 2021 season, he has scored five touchdowns in six games against them, consistently giving their defensive backs fits.

Seattle may not be the only team missing a key receiver on Sunday either, as Nacua banged his knee during practice on Thursday and sat out on Friday for precautionary reasons. The injury happened to the same knee that led to him missing time in training camp and sitting out five games on injured reserve earlier this year, creating a bit of an initial scare for the organization.

However, while Nacua will be listed as questionable on the final injury report, after an MRI showed nothing wrong structure-wise with his knee, coach Sean McVay seemed confident that the second-year wideout would have a good chance to be able to bounce back and play for Los Angeles this weekend.

"Fortunately there's nothing structurally [wrong]," McVay said. "He'll be listed as questionable, but I wouldn't bet against this guy. My expectation is he’s going to do everything in his power to be ready to roll, and that's the mindset that we have."

As a rookie, Nacua torched the Seahawks in two games between the rivals, snagging 15 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown while primarily doing his damage on intermediate 10-19 yard routes, turning nine of those receptions into first downs. He also had five catches for 84 yards in a 37-31 loss to the Ravens last season when squaring off against Macdonald's defense.

Assuming he tries to play for Los Angeles this weekend, the 6-2, 205-pound Nacua will present a significant test both as an outside receiver and in the slot for cornerbacks Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, and either Tre Brown or Josh Jobe to deal with.

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