Tag: Puka Nacua

Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua ready for challenge of facing All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner

Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are excited to face Sauce Gardner, who’s a 2-time All-Pro and one of the best lockdown corners in football

Things haven’t gone according to plan for the New York Jets this season but Sauce Gardner remains one of the best corners in football. He’s allowed a completion rate of only 54.3% and has six pass breakups compared to only one touchdown allowed.

That’s what the Los Angeles Rams’ receivers will be up against on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are prepared for the challenge of facing Gardner, particularly when they line up on the right side of the formation where Sauce typically resides.

Both Kupp and Nacua had high praise for Gardner ahead of this weekend’s game.

“Man, he’s a really good football player,” Kupp said Thursday. “From a corner perspective, technique, his ability, his understanding of who he is as a corner. You see plays to his own strengths. I think they obviously have a lot of trust in him. Man, he’s a good football player. This is the first time I’ve had an opportunity to really look at him and yeah, he’s a really good football player. Going to be a great challenge.”

Though the Rams move their receivers around the formation pretty frequently, Kupp typically runs his routes from the slot. That will minimize the snaps he has with Gardner lined up across from him because Sauce usually stays on the outside rather than following receivers into the slot.

Kupp isn’t the No. 1 receiver in the Rams offense anymore anyway, so he’s not going to get the shadow treatment from Gardner. Nacua, on the other hand, could see No. 1 following him around the field a bit more.

He was asked what stands out about Gardner’s game and he mentioned the cornerback’s size, comparing him to Patrick Surtain II and Jalen Ramsey.

“A big body. I think some of the modern DBs across the NFL, if you guys look at Patrick Surtain, Jalen Ramsey and some of these guys that have the bigger body build,” Nacua said. “I got a chance to see him just a little bit, even if it was just seven-on-seven in the Pro Bowl. You see somebody, you get to gauge how they move and see the size and length that he has. We’re excited for the challenge and everybody in our receiver room is.”

By his standards, Gardner is having a down year in 2024. His 81.0 passer rating allowed is the highest of his career, and his nine penalties committed are nearly as many as he had in his first two seasons combined (10).

Still, he’s only given up one touchdown and 25 receptions, were are both the fewest in his career.

Cooper Kupp was ‘obviously frustrated’ by catchless game but will do whatever it takes to win

Cooper Kupp commented on his catchless game for the first time, admitting he was frustrated but also willing to do anything to win

Cooper Kupp had an uncharacteristically quiet game last week against the San Francisco 49ers, being held without a catch in the Los Angeles Rams’ 12-6 win. It wasn’t a very productive passing day for anyone given the rainy weather, but Kupp was especially uninvolved in the offense.

It was just the third time in his career that he finished a game without a single reception, and while he did contribute as a blocker and decoy on some plays, he would have loved to have an impact as a receiver, too.

On Thursday, Kupp commented on his catchless game for the first time, admitting he was “obviously frustrated” but is willing to do whatever it takes to win. That quote should surprise no one, given the leader and team player Kupp has always been in the Rams’ locker room.

“You’re obviously frustrated. You want to be able to contribute in the pass game and that goes without saying,” he said. “I don’t think anyone needs to say that they want to be able to have opportunities to touch the ball, but at the same time the way that game played out, that’s not what I was asked to do and I’m going to execute whatever they’re asking me. That’s been our thing here for years. Whatever it’s going to take to win, that’s what we have to do. We have the right guys in the building to understand that and that’s what we pride ourselves on. We’re going to do it. We know in the receiver room that if we come in and they ask us like, ‘Hey, we’re going 12-personnel and we’re running the ball every time this week,’ it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s go. Let’s figure out how we’re going to make that happen and how to make it come to life.’ The way that game played out, that’s what I was asked to do.”

Kupp has been overtaken as the team’s No. 1 receiver by Puka Nacua, who’s been even more efficient and productive in Year 2 than he was as a rookie. Kupp has still had some stellar performances, including his 92-yard game against the Bills just two weeks ago.

But he’s not putting up the numbers that he did when he was at his peak in 2021, which is understandable given his age and injury history.

Nacua admits he was surprised by Kupp’s catchless performance against the 49ers, but he also added that it didn’t change the way Kupp prepared this week or celebrated with his teammates last Thursday.

“It definitely did surprise me,” Nacua said. “The leader of our room, the professional that I’ve been able to watch and study in Cooper Kupp, it didn’t change how he comes out here to work. It didn’t change how he celebrated with us that we were winning on Thursday night football. It just doesn’t change who he has been. It makes everything flow over here perfectly because we know he’s still going to come out here on Thursday and every day before we had practice today and gave that same effort to be our leader.”

Kupp has been the ultimate teammate and competitor for the Rams, so he’s not going to make a fuss about being held without a catch and only seeing three targets. You can bet he’ll see a healthier number of targets on Sunday when the Rams face the Jets, though.

Puka Nacua is having one of the most efficient seasons ever by a WR based on this metric

Puka Nacua’s 3.53 yards per route run this season is the 3rd-highest of any player since it became a stat in 2006

The Los Angeles Rams’ offense has gotten much better since Puka Nacua returned from his knee injury and it’s no coincidence. After putting up record-setting numbers as a rookie last year, he’s been just as good this season, if not better.

In only nine games, he’s racked up 805 yards and three touchdowns. That includes two games where he exited before halftime due to a knee injury and ejection. He’s improved in just about every area, from success rate (56.9% to 65.1%) to yards per target (9.3 to 9.7).

He’s even averaging more yards per game (89.4) than he averaged last season (87.4) when he had 1,486 yards. That means if he were healthy all year, he’d be on track to eclipse 1,500 yards receiving.

Perhaps the most telling stat when it comes to Nacua’s efficiency is his 3.53 yards per route run. According to Pro Football Focus, it’s the third-highest rate of any player since 2006 when PFF started tracking the stat, trailing only Steve Smith Sr. (2008) and Tyreek Hill (2023).

Even in an offense with Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams both healthy, there’s no question who the go-to playmaker is for the Rams. Nacua impacts the game as a receiver and a blocker, making him one of the most well-rounded players in football.

He’s well on his way to climbing the NFL record books if he can stay on the field and avoid injuries during his career.

These 5 Rams players are getting snubbed in Pro Bowl fan voting

None of these five Rams players are in the top 10 at their positions in Pro Bowl fan voting, but they definitely should be

The Los Angeles Rams have generated some buzz in the NFC thanks to their three-game winning streak and 7-2 record since Week 7, but that hasn’t translated to their players earning recognition as potential Pro Bowlers.

After three weeks of Pro Bowl fan voting being open, only one Rams player ranks in the top 10 at his position in total votes received: Braden Fiske, who’s No. 4 among all defensive tackles. Not a single other Rams player is in the top 10 at his position, which is shocking to see.

They have plenty of deserving candidates for the Pro Bowl, too. Matthew Stafford is playing well, Byron Young is applying consistent pressure on the quarterback and Alaric Jackson has been an underrated stud at left tackle.

These five players have especially strong cases for the Pro Bowl, yet they’re not in the top 10 at their positions.

RB Kyren Williams

Williams may not be putting up eye-popping numbers or leading the NFL in rushing yards per game like he was last season, but he’s still been one of the more productive players in football from a yardage and touchdown perspective.

He currently ranks fourth in rushing yards with 1,121, fourth in rushing touchdowns with 12 and his 14 total touchdowns are tied for third in the NFL. Najee Harris, who’s ninth in Pro Bowl voting among running backs, ranks 14th with 891 rushing yards and only has five total touchdowns.

WR Puka Nacua

Nacua may have missed five games with a knee injury but he’s been incredibly productive in the games he has played. He has 805 yards and three touchdowns this season, ranking third in receiving yards per game (89.4). That includes two games where he suffered a knee injury and was ejected.

Somehow, Jayden Reed of the Packers is 10th among wide receivers despite only having 727 yards in 14 games.

DT Kobie Turner

Turner is perhaps the biggest snub of them all. He has seven sacks this season, which is fifth among all defensive tackles. He also has nine tackles for a loss, 11 quarterback hits and 60 total tackles, stuffing the stat sheet as one of the Rams’ best defensive players.

According to Pro Football Focus, Turner has 49 total pressures, which is the sixth-most among interior defenders. No player in the NFL has more pressures against double teams since 2023 than Turner, which shows how dominant he is even when getting extra attention.

He absolutely deserves to be a Pro Bowler, but fans aren’t giving him his due.

OLB Jared Verse

Verse has been outstanding as a rookie, even if he has slowed down a little bit in the last few games. There are only three edge rushers in the NFL with more pressures than him (64), according to PFF, and he’s been credited with six sacks by the analytics site.

There aren’t many edge rushers with his combination of power and speed, and he’s only a rookie. With the overall talent at edge rusher in the NFL right now, he probably won’t get in as a rookie, but he’s a future star.

RG Kevin Dotson

There are only five guards in the league with a higher overall PFF grade than Dotson this season, who’s earned an 81.1 mark thus far in 2024. He’s allowed 22 pressures, which isn’t an impressively low number, but his 84.1 run-blocking grade shows where his greatest impact is.

The Pro Bowl is often a popularity contest, and that’s even more evident on the offensive line. Four teams have two guards in the top 10 of vote-getters so far this year (Lions, Chiefs, Eagles and Steelers), with the Packers and Browns having one guard each in the top 10.

Puka Nacua and Fred Warner shared a cool jersey-swap moment after Rams-49ers

Puka Nacua and Fred Warner, two BYU products, swapped jerseys after the Rams-49ers battle on Thursday night

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers went toe to toe in the rain on Thursday night in a rivalry game with huge playoff implications, and two of the biggest stars were Puka Nacua and Fred Warner. The two BYU alumni were at the center of the action, with Nacua posting 108 yards from scrimmage and Warner racking up 15 total tackles.

After duking it out for 60 minutes on a rain-soaked field, Nacua and Warner shared a cool moment at Levi’s Stadium. They swapped jerseys and posed for a photo, with Nacua recognizing Warner’s remarkable talent.

“Full ‘C’, bro,” Nacua said upon seeing the captain patch on Warner’s jersey. “You’re the best in the world right now.”

“You’re a baller, boy. Keep it going, man. Love you, boy,” Warner told Nacua.

Though they didn’t play together at BYU, there’s a ton of mutual respect between these two stars.

Watch: Puka Nacua makes ridiculous catch using a defender’s helmet

Puka Nacua made his weekly highlight-reel catch, this time using a 49ers defender’s helmet to haul it in

It wouldn’t be a Rams game without a ridiculously good catch by Puka Nacua. It’s a weekly occurrence for the second-year receiver, who’s already become one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position.

On Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers, Nacua made an absurd grab in the first quarter where he pinned the ball to the back of a defender’s helmet as he went to the ground.

It’s a miracle that ball didn’t get jarred loose as they were going down, but Nacua has incredibly strong hands and wouldn’t let it out of his grasp.

This shot of the catch is awesome, showing just how difficult it was for him to make.

Steelers K Chris Boswell should win 2024 fantasy football MVP award

Chris Boswell’s historic 2024 season is shaking up fantasy football, outscoring top TEs and propelling many fantasy teams to the playoffs

Sorry, WR Ja’Marr Chase, while your fantasy football points scored are impressive, one kicker has turned many fantasy football leagues upside down.

Steelers K Chris Boswell, AKA the ‘Wizard of Boz,’ is not only putting together a historic NFL season with 36 field goals made through 13 games played, but his fantasy football points are also off the charts!

ESPN compiled a list of which players belong to the most fantasy football playoff teams in 2024, and Boswell ranks 24th, above huge fantasy football names like WR CeeDee Lamb, WR Puka Nacua, WR A.J. Brown, QB Jayden Daniels, and TE Travis Kelce.

One of the most surprisingly true statistics in all of fantasy football is that Boswell is currently beating out all TEs for points scored in standard and half-PPR Sleeper fantasy football leagues.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MLFootball (@_mlfootball)

No one can deny Boswell’s elite kicking prowess on gameday, but no one could have predicted the impact he would have on the world of fantasy football in 2024.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

These Matthew Stafford stats show just how important Puka Nacua is to the Rams

Matthew Stafford’s numbers with and without Puka Nacua on the field are staggeringly different

No one should be surprised that the Los Angeles Rams’ offense has hit its stride since Puka Nacua returned. The second-year receiver is averaging 88.5 yards per game this season, and that includes two games where he played about a third of the snaps due to an injury and ejection.

While the entire offense has benefited from his return, Matthew Stafford has seen his numbers improve dramatically when Nacua is on the field. Pro Football Network uncovered just how different Stafford’s stats are with and without Nacua in the mix.

  • With Nacua on the field: 69.1% completion rate, 8.1 yards/attempt, 11 touchdowns, 2 interceptions (107.8 rating)
  • Without Nacua: 64.9% completion rate, 7.1 yards/attempt, 8 touchdowns, 6 interceptions (86.4 rating)

In the first six games of the season, Stafford had just three touchdown passes and four interceptions. He had zero games with multiple touchdown passes and only one game with 275-plus yards.

In the last seven games with Nacua back, he’s had six games with at least two touchdowns, five games with 275-plus yards and a total of 16 touchdowns to three interceptions.

The turnaround has been dramatic and it shows the value Nacua brings to the offense. When he’s healthy and available, the Rams are a much better team – and it’s no surprise they’re 5-3 with him on the field and 2-3 without him.

Puka Nacua’s toe-tapping catch was spectacular, but this angle shows how ridiculous the throw was

Puka Nacua’s sideline catch was awesome, but not many QBs could’ve made the throw that Matthew Stafford did

There was no shortage of highlight-reel plays in Sunday’s Rams-Bills game, from Los Angeles’ blocked punt to Khalil Shakir’s 51-yard touchdown. Above them all, however, was Puka Nacua’s toe-tapping catch along the sideline.

For a guy who’s made a ton of spectacular catches in his career already, this one was certainly up there among the best. Not only was it a great grab in a tight window, but his ability to keep his feet in bounds was incredible.

What shouldn’t be overlooked in that play is the throw by Matthew Stafford. Seriously, it might’ve been even better than the catch itself.

Sosa Kremenjas of Underdog Fantasy shared the end zone view of Stafford’s dime to Nacua and it’s hard to imagine many quarterbacks being able to make that throw. Not only was it 25 yards downfield, but it was from the right hash to the left sideline, making it an even longer throw into an opening the size of a car window.

Stafford, who turns 37 in February, has shown no signs of getting older or losing any of the arm strength he’s had throughout his career. This throw proves that.

He still has a cannon and he might be more accurate now than he was earlier in his career.

Puka Nacua’s mind drifted to an unbelievably random place during Rams-Bills shootout

Puka Nacua randomly started thinking about Power Balance bracelets during Sunday’s epic Rams-Bills shootout: “They scammed us, bro”

Puka Nacua had arguably the game of his life on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. He caught 12 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, adding another touchdown and 16 yards on the ground to give him 178 yards and two scores.

It was also quite possibly the best game of the year in the NFL thus far as the Rams outdueled the Bills, 44-42.

But while he was on the sidelines, Nacua wasn’t thinking about how neither team turned the ball over or how good Josh Allen was playing or how pivotal the Rams’ blocked punt was. He was thinking about Power Balance bracelets.

You know, those rubber bracelets with the little hologram that was supposed to make athletes perform better. That’s what Nacua was thinking about in the middle of one of the best football games in recent memory.

He revealed that unbelievably random mid-game thought during an interview on the “Pat McAfee Show” when Darius Butler asked what was going through his mind in such an exciting and high-scoring game.

“Shoot, I’m not going to lie to you,” Nacua began. “You know in AAU basketball growing up, they used to give you these little black wristbands that had the silver dot? I think they were like the balance bands. Middle of the game, Josh Allen’s driving and I’m like, ‘Yo, they scammed us with those balance bands. They scammed us, bro.”

Nacua understandably wants to know what genius created those wildly popular bracelets.

Oh, Puka. Never change.

You can see the clip from his interview below.

It’s impossible not to love Nacua for the fun-loving and energetic guy that he is, and when he’s on the field, he’s as good as any receiver in the NFL. He’s truly one of a kind.