How Puka Nacua and the Rams’ receivers are cooking in a surprising passing game

Puka Nacua has taken the NFL by storm. Here’s why Nacua, Sean McVay, and Matthew Stafford are cooking in the Rams’ surprising passing game.

When the NFL released the 2023 schedule, the Week 5 matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles was not seen as must-see TV outside of the fans of those two teams. The Eagles are the defending NFC champions, and the Rams were portrayed as a team in full rebuild with little to go on. But even without Cooper Kupp (hamstring) in the first four weeks of the season, Sean McVay’s passing game has been one of the league’s most interesting, and one of the toughest to stop. And the pointman has been BYU rookie receiver Puka Nacua, the fifth-round pick who has exceeded all expectations.

Nacua’s 22-yard touchdown in overtime to send his team to a 29-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday was just the latest play in what has become a historical season to date.

Nacua’s 39 receptions is the most for any first-year receiver in his first four pro football games — and in fact, he’s already passed Reggie Bush for the most receptions for any rookie in his first FIVE games. Nacua also has the most receiving yards (501) for any rookie receiver, and he’s the first rookie with three 100-yard games in his first four opportunities, joining Harlon Hill of the Chicago Bears in 1954.

So, it’s clear that Nacua is a natural fit for what McVay and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur are cooking up this season. In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into how the Rams are controlling the middle of the field with simple concepts that work exceedingly well.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/RQrpAIsB6a832FGHJcng/1696527587783_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0ia2ppeGU0Y2JqZnp1ZW50YmhhenRlcnNoamJmZ2czdGgiIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMyNSI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

You can watch this week’s full “Xs and Os” video, featuring all of Week 5’s biggest NFL matchups, right here:

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/G4k1_ooBLH5_irLurdvW/1696483168005_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnBvcHRvay5jb20vYW55Y2xpcC13aWRnZXQvbHJlLXdpZGdldC9wcm9kL3YxL3NyYy9scmUuanMiIGRhdGEtYXI9IjE2OjkiIGRhdGEtcGxpZD0iaTQyZ3dtazduNXh1ZXRjaWd2cHdzNHNtb3Z6Z2k1c3giIHB1Ym5hbWU9IjE5OTgiIHdpZGdldG5hbWU9IjAwMTZNMDAwMDJVMEIxa1FBRl9NODMyNSI+Cjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==”][/anyclip-media]

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Now, let’s get into this surprising Rams passing game — and why it could be a major issue for the Eagles’ defense.