INGLEWOOD, Calif. – With the game on the line, the Rams will always trust wide receiver Puka Nacua.
The Rams were down seven late in the fourth quarter. On 4th-and-2 from the nine-yard line, quarterback Matthew Stafford fired a strike to Nauca, who had separated against his man at the top of his route with a quick, two-hand jab. He caught the pass out of his break and barreled into the end zone for the game-tying score. His 13th reception of the day gave him 170 receiving yards, setting a new regular season career-high.
Nacua caught all but two of his 15 targets, beating defenders in man and zone coverage alike. Whether he was diving to scoop a ball off the ground or running through defenders to pick up extra yards, Nacua's entire skill set was on display at SoFi Stadium in the Rams' 27-20 win over Indianapolis.
The words "consistent," "complete" and "tough" are echoed by teammates and coaches as descriptors of the Samoan superstar. It doesn't matter what coverage he's facing, where he lines up, or where he happens to be on the field when the play finds him: Nacua is going to make an impact whenever it's possible, and sometimes even when its improbable.
"He's got a lot more tools than what people realize," said wide receiver Davante Adams. "Great hands and strong at the catch point, and he's obviously really tough to bring down once he's running with the ball.
"So that mixed with the ways that (head coach) Sean (McVay) can call these plays up and get him in some positions... to make plays, that's a little bit of it. That still doesn't really tell you what (makes him great). You gotta feel it and understand he's a gamer."
Each of his many tools were on display today. The separation was illustrated on that game-tying conversion in close quarters, but he also had some spectacular catches.
On a 3rd-and-5 in the second quarter, Nacua ran a double move down the left sideline, and Stafford heaved it up to his go-to target. Cornerback Xavien Howard, who Nacua torched in man coverage all day, was draped on his back and almost got a hand on the ball, but Nacua hung on for a 31-yard gain, setting L.A. up in the red zone.
Then, he elevated to secure a sideline ball from Stafford during the pivotal two-minute, 96-yard touchdown drive that gave the Rams the lead entering the half. This time, it was against zone coverage and he took a lick on the backend, but got up unfazed. All that, and more happened before the first half ended.
Nacua even left with a thumb injury at one point, but that wasn't going to slow down the NFL's leading receiver, especially in a close game against an undefeated opponent.
"He got his thumb banged up a little bit, he came out and looked pretty good in the second half, what did you think?" McVay said with a smile. "... He's a stud. What a tough, gritty (player)... Puka epitomizes that."
A sliding grab in front of safety Camryn Bynum on an intermediate dig potentially saved an interception and sparked his second-half production. Apart from that, he lived on short in-breaking routes and also took a screen down into the red zone the play before his first receiving touchdown of the season.
The Rams targeted Nacua on third or fourth down six times. He caught all six passes converted four of them.
"It feels super fun when you go out there and you're moving the ball forward and you're feeling like everything's on the right page," Nacua said. "And I just think it feels good to be on the same page as Matthew."
Whatever "right page" Stafford and Nacua are on, it's one no other tandem in the NFL has access to right now.
Through four games, Nacua leads the NFL in targets (49), receptions (42), receiving yards (503) and explosive receptions (12), according to Pro Football Focus. When you factor in the different ways he's produced, it doesn't get more complete than that.
Even though he didn't catch the game-winning touchdown – an 88-yard strike from Stafford to wide receiver Tutu Atwell – his impact made that play possible. Atwell said they started shifting the attention toward Nacua as the game went on, meaning everyone else just had to win their one-on-ones, and that's exactly what he did, making his defender fall to the turf with a crisp route.
"(Nacua is) as tough as they come, did a hell of a job again today," Stafford said. "We called his number quite a few times. The fourth down was huge, the touchdown catch. He's a heck of a football player. We're lucky to have him on our team. I think his play style rubs off on everybody on our team, not just offense. I think our defense looks at him and is like, 's*, we'll ride with that guy all day.' And I know that's how we feel on offense."
