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Sarah Barshop, ESPN Staff WriterNov 18, 2024, 06:00 AM ET
- Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Late in the second quarter on Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua made a diving catch in the corner of the end zone, one that NFL Next Gen Stats gave a completion probability of 13.5%.
But after the catch — Nacua’s first touchdown of the season and one that gave the Rams the lead in an eventual 28-22 victory over the New England Patriots — Nacua fell on the ball and got the wind knocked out of him. He went to the injury tent after throwing up and was evaluated for a concussion, head coach Sean McVay said, but was cleared to return to the game.
On that play, Nacua showed again what the Rams have known since last season: the young receiver’s physical play is one of the things that makes him so good, but it can lead to worrisome moments too.
Nacua, who played in all 17 games last season when he set records for the most receptions and receiving yards by a rookie in NFL history, injured his right knee during training camp. The injury was considered minor and he returned for the Rams’ season opener against the Detroit Lions. Nacua left that game after aggravating the injury and missed five games on injured reserve.
On Sunday against the Patriots, Nacua finished with seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. It was his first touchdown of the season and his most receiving yards in a game this season, his fourth game back from injured reserve.
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A big part of the reason Nacua was on the field as often as he was as a rookie was because of his ability to contribute to the run game. Run blocking has always been a staple in McVay’s offense.
“If you want to be on the field, you have to be willing to block,” Kupp said. “And that’s something that [the Rams] pride ourselves on.”
Nacua’s physicality in the run game hasn’t gone unnoticed, either by teammates or the opposition. In the week leading up to the Rams’ Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver called Nacua and Kupp “two of the toughest receivers” in the NFL, citing what they do as blockers.
When Nacua got to Los Angeles in 2023 as a fifth-round draft choice the Rams even had to pull him back from his run blocking instincts. And Nacua’s passion for that part of the game showed Kupp “he was ready to go from the jump.”
“We had an issue with him because he kept blocking linebackers when you’re not supposed to be blocking linebackers,” Kupp said. You’d rather pull someone back and say, ‘Hey, look, someone’s already going to the linebacker. You can block the safety or block the corner.’
“Puka definitely had the willingness to go in and do what you need to do. That’s what you need at the beginning. If you’re willing to do it, then coaches can teach you how to do the rest.”
After Nacua was ejected in the Rams’ Week 9 victory in Seattle after throwing a punch, Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said Nacua “has a target on his back” because of how physically he plays.
“That’s the truth in terms of when you put on the tape that you do in terms of your physicality and the caliber of player that he is,” LaFleur said. “That’s a sign of respect that people are going to go after him, chirp at him, and all that. It’s a good lesson for him and he won’t make that mistake again.”
Nacua said since his NFL debut last season, he’s “realized that not everybody wants to play football with the same physicality I do.”
“You’re like, ‘maybe he was taking his opportunity’ but I feel like it’s also a reminder for me that it’s my goal to come out there and bring it with the physicality every single play,” Nacua said. “It’s also a nice, subtle reminder to myself that every play is somebody’s opportunity to either make a hit or take a hit. I want to be the one making it for sure.”
And while the Rams have been clear that they love how hard Nacua plays, Kupp had to pause when he watched Nacua’s diving touchdown catch from the far sideline.
“I saw him hit the ground and bounce a couple of times and I was like, oh, I was really hoping it was just the air being forced out of his lungs,” Kupp said. “But he’ll be all right. We’re working on landing softer.”
