Tutu Atwell had himself a game against the 49ers, hauling in four receptions for 93 yards. He also caused a defensive pass interference penalty that moved the ball 48 yards and led to points for the Rams. Atwell was living up to the promise that he once had when the Rams drafted him, and he quickly established himself as the team’s go-to receiver in the absence of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
This fact was not lost on Sean McVay, who praised the receiver on Monday. McVay went deeper into his evaluation, recognizing how well Atwell played in key situations.
“He’s done a good job with that,” he said. “A couple of key third downs that he made catches on, obviously the deep ball on our sideline was a great track over his shoulder. I think he ended up with 93 yards on the day, but he had a 48-yard ‘PI’ that doesn’t go on the stats, but it moved our offense forward 48 yards that led to a scoring drive. There is a lot of trust. I think he and Matthew have a good trust. He did a lot of really good things for us last year and let’s see if we can build on that. Tutu made some big plays for us. He knew that he was going to get an opportunity and he delivered. Again, just happy for him and now let’s see how we move forward the right way.”
Matthew Stafford has had a go-to guy throughout his career. Whether it be Nacua or Kupp or even back to Calvin Johnson and Kenny Golladay, Stafford has the guy and Atwell is proving he can be that guy at the moment.
What separates Atwell from the rest of the receivers listed above is his quickness and lower center of gravity. Perhaps that will open up opportunities for big plays, especially with yards after catch. In the meantime, if Atwell continues his newly found level of play, the Rams’ season may just be getting started.