CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua made some incredible plays in the Rams' Wild Card thriller, but you could argue that his most impactful one ended with the ball on the turf, not in his hands.
The Rams trailed 24-20 with just over 11 minutes remaining when quarterback Matthew Stafford threw up a prayer to Nacua in the end zone on 3rd-and-1. Seeing that Panthers cornerback Chau Smith-Wade was about to come down with an interception, Nacua turned into a defensive back and swatted the ball away to force an incompletion, keeping the Rams' drive, and really their season, alive.
"If it's not me coming down with the ball, nobody can come down with it," Nacua said postgame.
The Rams scored a touchdown to take the lead six plays later.
"That was such a big play," said head coach Sean McVay said. "... He's a freaking warrior. He's well-deserving of being voted unanimously as an All-Pro. That's how he's played for us, and he just responds."
Nacua touched the ball 13 times for 125 total yards and two touchdowns in the Rams' 34-31 victory over the Panthers to kick off Wild Card weekend with a bang. But his true impact couldn't be measured on the stat sheet – his mental acuity made the biggest difference.
The Panthers' defense was completely overwhelmed by Nacua on the first three drives of the game.
He caught each of Stafford's first three passes, totaling 40 yards and a touchdown on the Rams' opening drive. In classic Nacua fashion, he hung on through contact on a seam ball to get the offense off to a fast start. Then two drives later, he caught a backwards screen pass and became a human bowling ball, bouncing off defenders like bumpers to cross the goal line and give L.A. a 14-0 lead.
"Puka did today what he's done kind of all year for us," Stafford said. "He's been unbelievable, handed it to him a couple of times, made some big plays in the pass game as well, great blocking."
Then, Los Angeles hit a rut that ran through the end of the first half, punctuated by an uncharacteristic drop from Nacua. A deep strike thrown by Stafford went through Nacua's hands and fell incomplete. It almost certainly would have resulted in six points had the ball been caught. Nacua said postgame that he didn't have a clear understanding of where to expect that ball after making his move on the defender, and he's "got to be better."
Instead, the Panthers gained possession and orchestrated a touchdown drive to make it a one-possession game. After Los Angeles was moments away from potentially taking a three-score lead into halftime, they only led by three points.
Nacua was visibly upset on the sideline, but he didn't let that define his day.
"Even that one drop, he's so hard on himself, but he comes back, he makes the plays," McVay said. "... That's what great players do is they just play the next play. Love him, grateful that he's on our squad."
In the second half, Nacua gained 57 total yards, many of which came courtesy of tough running as he sought out contact. He didn't drop another pass the rest of the day and made some key plays to help advance the ball during scoring drives. He finished with 10 catches for 111 receiving yards and a touchdown, along with three carries for 14 yards and a score.
Before kickoff, Nacua told safety Quentin Lake he was going to be "2012 LeBron James" on Saturday.
"An angry and aggressive mentality," Nacua said. "This is an opportunity for us to go out here and showcase what we got, knowing that this team has seen us and we didn't come out with the outcome. So to go out there and execute in all the critical moments."
Sure, he airballed in a crucial spot, but Nacua bounced back with a few dunks down the stretch that helped the Rams pull out a victory that at one point seemed improbable.
