What Makes Puka Nacua Special? Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay Reveals Surprising Traits
From exploding onto the scene in Week 1 to breaking franchise records with room to spare, Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua is having an incredible rookie season.
He has become a quarterback-friendly target for Matthew Stafford and, perhaps more importantly, a receiver capable of keeping an offense afloat while star receiver Cooper Kupp battles through injuries.
Nacua had another strong game in Week 14, though Los Angeles fell in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens. He caught five of his eight targets for 84 yards, including a diving catch on the receiving end of one of the season’s best throws.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) celebrates with wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) after scoring a second-quarter touchdown at M&T Bank Stadium.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
His play has drawn praise all season long from the likes of Stafford, Kupp, and head coach Sean McVay. His head coach spoke again on Wednesday about the things that separate Nacua from the pack. McVay focused on the plays that won’t show up in the box score.
“He's made a lot of great plays that have really positively affected the outcome of games or for our offense, but he's doing a lot of things in the run game,” McVay said. “There's a physical nature at which he plays this game … that enables you to do a lot more than what you would otherwise. So there's a toughness both with and without the ball, there's a football IQ and acumen that he possesses, and there's a humility.”
Nacua’s blocking isn’t a new development. It helped him make an impression this summer and flashed almost immediately after he suffered an AC joint sprain against the Cleveland Browns. Those aforementioned traits have also helped him find his place in the offense.
There was concern about Kupp overlapping with Nacua and limiting his role when he returned from injury early this season. Nacua’s versatility made that a non-issue.
As a result, he has stuck on the field and made his mark. In 13 games, he has seen 127 targets for 82 catches, 1,113 yards and four scores. No Rams rookie has generated more receiving yards, and his unimpeachable start set “fastest to” records after virtually every week to begin the season.
McVay emphasized that it hasn’t gotten to the rookie’s head.
“I think that's one of the coolest things about this guy is, really from the very first game, he started to get some attention … you've seen a guy that is exactly the same,” McVay said. “He's humble. He's been brought up the right way. He's got a great work ethic. You see how much he reveres his teammates when he talks about them and the way that they pour into him and just the emotion that's so authentic that he has.”
Like running back Kyren Williams, draft capital means little to McVay in terms of getting on the field. Making the offense better is priority No. 1 and he’s done that in spades.
“Those are things that you don't ever take for granted as a coach and are very appreciative of him,” McVay said.
At 6-7, the Rams will be continuing to look Nacua’s way in a series of must-win games. Los Angeles has to go 3-1 to have a fighting chance at the NFC playoffs, making a winnable Week 15 game against the Washington Commanders all the more important.
Against Washington’s league-worst pass defense, expect Nacua to continue putting up big numbers, even if it's the extracurriculars catching McVay’s eye.
