Puka Nacua's Big Play Silences Rams Star Defender

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WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. Against the New Orleans Saints, wide receiver Puka Nacua reopened his account after experiencing limited action in the Los Angeles Rams' win over the Baltimore Ravens and completely missing the team's victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, due to suffering an ankle injury.
Nacua's latest performance left one of the NFL's biggest talkers in a state of disbelief.
Nacua's Big Play
Nacua was magical in his return, hauling in seven catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Nacua's touchdown grab required skills only gifted to the greats as he was able to haul in the ball, over the defender, while remaining in-bounds, leaving Verse speechless.
.@AsapPuka literally left @JaredVerse1 speechless 😭@insidetheNFL Week 9 Mic'd Up on X pic.twitter.com/vbr9VpwwUN
— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2025
Both men would talk about the play during the week.
Verse Speaks on His Stunned Silence
“That was crazy," stated Verse. "I watched that catch and I watched it fall down. I'm like, ‘Damn that's tough.’ Then he hit me in my chest and that hurt a little bit. I was about to hit him back but that’s Puka, I didn't want to get fired [laughter].”
Nacua's Hilarious Response
"I thought the clip of Verse being speechless…I'm like, ‘I can't wait to save that one because not a lot of people can say they've done that (laughter).’ I take pride in that now," stated Nacua. "That’s a great accomplishment for me. But [Quarterback Matthew Stafford] ‘nine’, he doesn't miss and I feel like the level of confidence that he plays with right now is just oozing out into everybody else. It feels fun to be out there. When the ball is up in the air, I trust that placement and the one spot it could have been and I'm just glad I got my butt cheek down [laughter].”

Nacua is having one of the best seasons any pass catcher is having throughout the NFL and due to his big day, he once again puts himself back into the race for the Triple Crown.
Won twice this decade by Cooper Kupp (2021) and Ja'Marr Chase (2024), Nacua is set to face off against fellow front-runner Jaxon Smith-Njigba next week.
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Brock Vierra, a UNLV graduate, is the Los Angeles Rams Beat Writer On Sports Illustrated. He also works as a college football reporter for our On Sports Illustrated team.