INGLEWOOD, Calif. – When the Rams need a conversion, everyone knows who the Rams want to target. But wide receiver Puka Nacua almost always makes those plays regardless of the extra attention.

Rams head coach Sean McVay chose to go for it on fourth down twice in the first quarter. The first was a six-yard slant that moved the chains on a 4th-and-4 near midfield, where Nacua caught the pass between defenders and spun through contact to ensure he had enough to convert. Four plays later, a more daring fourth down with eight yards to the marker was picked up by Nacua on an out route where he wrestled the ball away from cornerback Amik Robertson.

"When it's my opportunity to make those plays (where everyone knows where the ball is going), it's even more fun," Nacua said. "Trusting that at every spot that everybody else is going to do their job and then just leaving it up to me and being able to come down with that ball. I knew I owed nine once, so it was fun."

Those plays kept the drive and made the Detroit defense hyper-aware of his impact. So when running back Kyren Williams ran the ball in from the four-yard line a few plays later, and Nacua was lined up in the backfield, multiple defenders followed him into the flat, only for the handoff to go in the opposite direction of Nacua's fake-out route, and Williams walked into the end zone.

Nacua was a big play waiting to happen in Week 15, with gains of 39, 37, 36 and 22 yards against Detroit. That helped lead the Rams to a 41-34 victory to clinch a playoff spot. Nacua finished with nine catches for a regular season career-high 181 yards in the victory, continuing what's been a dominant stretch for the Rams' top wideout.

Last week, Nacua had 167 receiving yards in three quarters last week, just three yards shy of what was then his regular season career-high. With a big lead, he watched the fourth quarter from the sideline rather than trying to set a new mark. He only had to wait a week to break that personal record.

"(Nacua's) like Pac-Man, he just eats up yards and catches," McVay said.

And if Nacua is Pac-Man, then he said every defender is the ghost, because he wants to "run through everybody."

For the second-straight week, Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua put on a wide receiver teach tape clinic.

Perhaps his most impressive play came early in the second quarter. Running down the sideline, a little hesitation left cornerback D.J. Reed sprawled on the turf before he spun around to catch the ball and get both feet down. That 37-yard gain put the Rams in the red zone with 11 seconds left before halftime and led to a Harrison Mevis field goal that brought the Rams within one score.

"I think the key and critical sequence was being able to get three points at the end of the half, to be able to cut that lead to seven," McVay said postgame.

Late in the third quarter, with the Rams up by just three points, Stafford hit Nacua over the middle and he ran through multiple defenders to get every possible inch in to the red zone for a 39-yard gain. He then let out a guttural scream in celebration and Los Angeles found pay dirt on the very next play.

Those types of gritty plays, which Nacua has made a habit of, get his teammates excited and motivate them to give the same level of effort.

"100% (it gives us a boost)," said offensive lineman Alaric Jackson. "You know Puka, he's gonna put his nose in there every time, play good ball. He's a back playing receiver, really."

And that's why, when the Rams are in a got-to-have-it situation, Nacua's the one they go to, because they know he will put his body on the line every time.