Rams WR Tutu Atwell Finds Confidence, Growth After Win vs. Seahawks
The Los Angeles Rams didn't have injured star receiver Cooper Kupp for Sunday's season opener against the Seattle Seahawks ... but it didn't matter.
Los Angeles, despite being given little hope from the outside, walked out of Lumen Field with a commanding 30-13 win over the Seahawks, thanks in large part to the emergence of two young receivers: Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell.
Nacua's rise has been well-documented; a fifth-round pick in April's draft, the former BYU standout impressed during the offseason and starred in his regular-season debut, catching a team-high 10 passes for 119 yards.
But Atwell, a second-round choice in 2021 who many wrote off after a slow start to his career, was right there with him, adding 119 yards on six receptions.
The Rams outscored the Seahawks 23-0 in the second half, dominating on both sides of the ball en route to an upset win on the road ... and Atwell was right in the middle of it.
"I thought Tutu Atwell came to life in the second half in a big way," coach Sean McVay said, alluding to the five grabs for 108 yards the talented receiver posted during the final 30 minutes.
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Atwell started slow; his first touch, a rush attempt, went for a loss of three yards, though it was ultimately nullified after an offensive penalty. His first three targets of the season from quarterback Matthew Stafford fell incomplete.
The turning point came on Los Angeles' final drive of the first half, when it was given the ball back with less than 30 seconds to play.
On 3rd and 10, Stafford found Atwell for a gain of 11 yards, jumpstarting a drive that gave the Rams a chance at points but wasn't meant to be, as kicker Brett Maher's field goal sailed wide right.
From the outside, Atwell's grab was merely a small part of a wasted drive ... but it proved to be the starting point of a career day at the office.
“Just that one little catch or whatever it may be, that’s when I get going,” Atwell said postgame.
Over the next 30 minutes, Atwell used his speed and athleticism to dice the Seahawks' secondary. He played an integral role in the drive that put Los Angeles ahead by two scores early in the fourth quarter, catching three passes for 50 yards.
It was a loud statement that Atwell, who had only 18 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown across all of last season, has officially arrived - and McVay wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"That's what Tutu had been doing going months back," McVay said. "I thought he really started to play with a lot of confidence towards the latter part of last year when he got his opportunities that were earned."
Stafford reiterated similar sentiments, praising the work that both Atwell and Nacua have done while keeping the offense afloat in Kupp's absence.
"Doing a great job," Stafford said. "It's what I've been seeing in practice and those guys got to take a lot of confidence in going out there and making plays like that."
For Atwell, these types of performances are expected - he simplifies the game to capitalizing when opportunities come his way, simply getting and catching the ball before turning on the jets.
This is the vision Los Angeles had for Atwell when it took him No. 57 overall in Apr. 2021 - the chance to gain a game-breaking vertical threat who can star in a complementary role.
Of course, it's early, and Atwell needs to keep stacking these types of outings before he truly meets the expectations placed on him ... but the 5-9, 165-pound wideout is off to a fast start and has no plans of looking back anytime soon.
“Just more opportunities, more chances coming my way and I’m just going to make the most of it,” Atwell said.
