WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was all smiles as he walked up to the podium to take questions from reporters during his weekly press conference Thursday.
About 15 minutes earlier, he had wrapped up full participation in the team's practice, another sign that he's trending in the right direction to play Sunday against the Saints.
That's Nacua's plan, of course.
"I'm feeling fantastic," Nacua said. "Feel ready to go."
An ankle sprain sustained in the first half of Los Angeles' Week 6 road win over the Baltimore Ravens sidelined Nacua for their Week 7 game against the Jaguars in London. He returned in that Baltimore game but was not involved as a target in the passing game, as L.A. played it safe with him.
"The adrenaline and the rush of wanting to not be out there, I mean, they came in and, like, everything, for the most part, was intact," Nacua said. "So I'm like, 'All right, if I can go out there, I know I can block duo for damn sure,' so I should get back out there and line back up, and then also just try to contribute, but also try to be as safe as possible."
In that same Baltimore game, he was mic'd up for NFL Films, which captured a passionate address toward some of his teammates on the sideline during their Week 6 win over the Ravens – a rare glimpse of a frustrated Nacua compared to the smiling, energetic player fans are accustomed to seeing.
"When we get the ball past the 30, we're scoring touchdowns!" he said in a mic'd up clip Inside the NFL posted to X. "No more of this field goal (expletive). We're running two, we're putting the offensive ball in our hands, and we're making plays, alright? I know we feel this (expletive)! What the (expletive) are we doing?! Strain that extra second, bruh! We're better than this! We're better than this! We get the ball inside, we want to spike that, we want to dance! Earn the right to dance! Earn the right to dance! Come on!"
It's not the same context as Rams legend Aaron Donald's famous "bow up" speech to the defense during Super Bowl LVI, but it shares in being an example of one of the team's best players taking ownership on their side of the ball.
After Nacua spoke up, the Rams offense proceeded to two turn a pair of takeaways created by the defense into 14 points, complementary football that helped Los Angeles separate from Baltimore in the second half of that game.
"I'd say it's something that just kind of came naturally through the moments throughout the game, some of the frustration and emotions that we feel, and just the standard I feel like we hold ourselves to, (that) we know how to operate," Nacua said. "And especially in this offense, the things that we communicate throughout the week really does feel like we are truly preparing for games, the game reality as best as we can. So it's something that I'm like, 'Man, I know the standard that we all hold for ourselves is we want to get in that end zone,' and that's something that's a main point for us every single week. So when we don't get in there, that moment of like, the disappointment of... I was just thinking of my mom (being like), 'I'm not mad at you. I'm disappointed.' I'm like, 'Alright, that's even worse.' But I'm like, 'Yeah, I want to get in that zone, too.'"
The Rams did not have trouble reaching the end zone in their 35-7 win over the Jaguars in London, with wide receiver Davante Adams accounting for three of those five touchdowns. Sunday will be a chance to build on that and maintain the standard Nacua spoke so passionately about in the previous game played in.
"It was a little painful, because I'm like, we've been working on some handshakes, and I'm like, 'Oh, I'm like, I can't run out there and like, meet you in the end zone as I would normally expect to," Nacua said with a laugh. "But it was just super exciting though, because we see this stuff during practice, some of the catches that he makes, you're like, 'Holy cow. Like, man, if there were cameras out there, (if) that was in the game, it would be some of the best things ever.' So to finally see it come to fruition on Sundays, it was amazing, and to see those two get on the same page, but then also to see the excitement that I know I've watched him play with and he's had continually, but then also for him to feel that the hard work be rewarded, that I know he'll continue for sure."
