WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – For a pair of 2023 Rams draft picks, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore – where the Rams will take on the Ravens this Sunday – was the site of big moments in their rookie seasons.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua, in what has been the only game of his NFL career played without gloves, had a diving, bare-handed catch in the rain, while tight end Davis Allen drew acclaim for hurdling a defender on an 18-yard catch-and-run that kept an eventual field goal-scoring drive alive. Allen also had an impressive one-handed, 21-yard catch and recorded his first career touchdown in that game.
"We actually watched it today in meetings," Allen told theRams.com Wednesday, referring to the 18-yard catch-and-run. "Yeah, I just remember catching the ball and seeing like four defenders all closing in. And I thought to myself, 'I'm about to get smoked. I either got to go through them, or I got to try to go around.' And so I just kind of just kind of went for it. I got a couple funny pictures out of it, to be honest with you. I got a picture in the house of my feet up high, my feet above my head.
But, yeah, that and my first touchdown. A lot of good memories from there."
Nacua finished with five receptions for 84 yards that day, while Allen's 50 receiving yards in that 2023 Week 14 matchup remain a career high, and his four receptions in that contest are the second-most he's had. Although the Rams lost that game in overtime on a punt return for a touchdown, both games served as confidence-building, or confidence-reinforcing, performances for those young players.
"Initially after the game, I thought to myself, like, 'Okay, I can do this, and I can play these guys,'" Allen said. "And so that was a big confidence boost for me. And then I think just trying to build off of that my rookie year, my initial thought was like, 'Okay, I got my feet wet. I can play with these guys, and hopefully try to help the team in a positive way.'"
Just like that game, there have been times this season where Allen has been asked to take on an expanded role due to injury at the position, and he's delivered with the go-ahead touchdown catch against the Texans in Week 1, as well as the go-ahead touchdown catch against the Titans in Week 2 as the Rams rallied to that road win in Nashville.
"He did a really good job," McVay said of Allen. "(Tight end Tyler) Higbee was injured. He had to step up, had a big third-and-one conversion that ended up getting called back then he converts on a third down-and-long. He did a really good job, had a touchdown off of a screen. Davis has always just answered the bell. I think he's a physically and a mentally tough guy. I think he competes really well at the line of scrimmage. He's good as a move blocker. He's got great, soft hands. I think he's just continuing to ascend into a complete tight end. He showed early signs of that his rookie year that you're alluding to. He had a great performance that gave us a chance to win that game against a team that was as hot as anybody at that time."
Meanwhile, Nacua – who went on to finish second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting – has been the league's leading receiver through their first five games of 2025 and become a focal point of L.A.'s offense.
"We relied upon those guys a bunch that year," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "That was a great football game, back and forth. Obviously, it didn't end the way we wanted it to, but it was a great battle. I imagine it's going to be something similar when we go back there. It's a tough place to play. They've got good players and a good football team. They've been really good for a long time so I know we'll get their best shot. As far as those two guys, Davis made a great catch on a seam ball. He got in on a 'Y' screen where he got his helmet turned all the way around and almost ripped off. Puka made a number of great plays. A couple come to mind… just the one crosser from left to right into a tough coverage he made a great layout catch. It wasn't an easy day to throw and catch with some of the weather. Those guys have been great since they've been here and that was definitely a highlight early for them in their careers."
Beyond those specific moments, both Allen and Nacua also recognize how foundational those performances were to their careers.
"The rain flooding the field early on in the game, and being like, 'All right, so we're definitely wearing the studs (cleats) today,'" Nacua said when recalling that game on Thursday. "Just kind of like the ebbs and flows of the game. It felt like we were moving well, and then also thinking about, there's some plays I feel like I left out there that could have been a huge impact in our plan. And I also think about, it was my guy Young Davis' breakout game out there, and it was fun to just be able to make plays with somebody who you'd seen kind of the growth and the progression (as) we were working together as rookies, but it will be exciting to go out there and make some new plays for the cut-up."
