Barring any last-minute changes, the Los Angeles Rams are expected to have both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp on the field for the first time since Week 1. While Kupp’s return was highly anticipated and there wasn’t much concern considering the team didn’t place him on injured reserve, the situation in Nacua is much different.

Nacua has been battling a lingering knee injury since training camp that he suffered in the season opener in Detroit. The injury forced the Rams to place Nacua on IR, and this will be his first full-contact activity since then.

While many would hope that the Rams slowly get him up to speed, this is a critical game against the Vikings, a game that could move Los Angeles into second place in the NFC West and just one game out of first place.

Considering the records in the NFC, winning the division may be the Rams’ only way to make the playoffs, and it’s time to throw the kitchen sink at that goal. Nacua is young, he’s smart and he knows what his body can handle. The Rams need to get him on the field and he should see at least 30 snaps tonight.

The season is on the line and if things don’t go their way, they could limit Nacua down the stretch. But this is a team that can pull off a win, they’re playing on a short week and both teams come into this game banged up and banged up.

The Vikings were on the losing side in the war against Detroit last week, and perhaps having to endure such punishment without reward has dampened their spirits. The Rams have to strike while the iron is hot, and no one has had a hotter hand in the NFL over the last 18 months than Puka Nacua. Let him do what he does best, and that is dominate.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: The Rams should take the reins of Puka Nacua in return from IR