Thursday Night Football: Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp active for Rams-Vikings

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will have his top two receivers for Thursday night’s game against the Vikings.

Not only is Cooper Kupp active, but Puka Nacua is also in the Week 8 matchup.

Nacua is more of a surprise as he wasn’t scheduled to return from injured reserve until Tuesday. The second-year receiver has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in the Week 1 loss to the Lions. In that contest, he caught four passes for 35 yards.

It’s unclear how often Nacua will play, as he was listed as limited on both Tuesday and Wednesday’s injury reports.

As a rookie last season, Nacua caught 105 passes for 1,486 yards with six touchdowns.

Kupp has been out since Week 2 when he suffered an ankle injury in the loss to the Cardinals. Head coach Sean McVay said after Sunday’s win over the Raiders that Kupp is expected to play Thursday.

Kupp has 18 catches for 147 yards with a TD so far in 2024.

On the other hand, Minnesota has not activated tight end TJ Hockenson, but he is expected to be added to the 53-man roster on Friday. Guard Dalton Risner was also not played for Thursday’s game.

Los Angeles’ inactives include quarterback Stetson Bennett, cornerback Tre’Davious White, running back Cody Schrader, receiver Jordan Whittington and defensive end Desjuan Johnson.

Minnesota’s inactives are quarterback Brett Rypien, linebacker Blake Cashman, cornerback Akayleb Evans, defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez, offensive tackle Walter Rouse, cornerback Dwight McGlothern and running back Myles Gaskin.