Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Lance Alworth are the only other NFL players to accomplish what Puka Nacua did on Sunday
Puka Nacua has had a lot of eye-popping performances already in the NFL despite only being in his second season, but his game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday might’ve been his best yet. Nacua caught 12 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 16 yards rushing and a touchdown on a career-high five carries.
His 162 yards receiving were the third-most he’s ever had in a game and his 178 yards from scrimmage were the second-most of his career, but he accomplished something in Week 14 that only two other NFL players ever have – and they’re both Hall of Famers.
According to NFL.com, Nacua became just the third player in league history with at least 160 yards receiving, one touchdown catch and one rushing touchdown in the same game. The other two are Jerry Rice, who did it twice, and Lance Alworth.
That’s some rare company for Nacua to keep and it shows his versatility as a playmaker on offense. Not only was he incredibly productive as a receiver, but his 16 rushing yards kept the chains moving and all of them picked up positive yardage except for one where he lost 3 yards.
It’s obviously still very early in his career, but if Nacua stays healthy, he’s on a path to becoming one of the best receivers in franchise history.
Allen scored on a second quarterback sneak attempt with a minute left.
Tom Brady made a salient point on the FOX broadcast that Allen should have tried to pass the ball into the end zone rather than sneaking the first time, which was unsuccessful.
That caused the Bills to call a timeout they needed when they stopped the Rams on their final drive. The game ended with a Rams punt that ate up the remaining seven seconds on the clock.
Buffalo is 10-3. KC came into its game at 11-1.
The Rams are now 7-6 and in the thick of the tight NFC West race.
This was the second 44-42 final in NFC history. The previous one was in 1997 when the Eagles beat the Bengals.
Puka Nacua just made one of the best toe-tapping sideline catches you’ll ever see
When it seems like Puka Nacua can’t possibly get better than he already is, he makes a play like this one. The second-year receiver is already one of the best overall players in the NFL and the catch he made along the sideline against the Bills was one of the best you’ll see.
It came in the second quarter on second-and-10, somehow hauling in the deep ball for 19 yards near the sideline. It seemed impossible that he’d be able to get his feet down inbounds, but he managed to get it done and secure the catch.
Tom Brady, who’s on the call for FOX, couldn’t believe Nacua hauled it in.
“Oh my god! Insane. That’s ridiculous,” Brady said.
Even though the Bills are favored, the Rams are one of the hotter teams in the NFL and are in a competitive race for the NFC West crown.
Buffalo will need to execute their game plan to pick up their eleventh win of the year.
With that, here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 14:
Make them stop the run
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Last week, the Bills spammed the running game against the 49ers and it resulted in 220 rushing yards and 35 points on the board. It will be difficult to repeat that success again this week, but the Rams have shown they can be hurt on the ground.
Two weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley did whatever he pleased against them. He ran for 255 yards and two scores on 26 carries. And last week, the Saints’ Alvin Kamara put up 112 rushing yards on 23 carries.
The Bills are at their best when they are a threat both on the ground and through the air. With this game being played in a dome (SoFi Stadium), many will be looking for Josh Allen to put up numbers in the passing game after only 148 pass yards in last week’s snow game. But if the Bills are wise, they won’t abandon the run and they’ll make the Rams have to defend in the trenches on defense.
Contain Rams pass rush
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Despite the loss of Aaron Donald, the young defenders on the defensive line for the Rams have done a solid job in keeping their pass rush competitive. They have four d-linemen with at least 4.5 sacks: Jared Verse (4.5), Kobie Turner (5), Byron Young (6), Braden Fiske (6).
More specifically, Verse has shown improvement this year. According to Pro Football Focus, he is the 12th-most productive pass-rushing edge defender with a pass-rush grade of 82.4.
The Bills haven’t allowed a sack in either of their last two games against the Chiefs and 49ers. That was a big reason they were able to put up 30+ points against both Super Bowl representatives from last year. If the Bills offensive line continues its high level of play, Allen could be in for a big day.
Limit explosives from McVay’s offense
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It’s no secret that the Rams offense has the potential to go toe-to-toe with anyone on any given Sunday. Led by offensive-minded head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matt Stafford has a few premiere weapons to spread the ball around to.
Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are one of the league’s best wide receiver duos, so the Bills’ secondary will have their hands full. The duo both found the field healthy together for the first time in Week 8 after missing much of the season.
Stafford has thrown for eight touchdowns on downfield passes (10+ yards) since Week 8, which is the third-most in the NFL in the span, and he has averaged 11.3 yards per attempt on those throws. The entire team has been lifted since Kupp and Nacua became healthy.
The running game was also effective for them last week as Kyren Williams ran for 104 yards and a touchdown on 6.9 yards per carry. The offense can beat you in many ways much like the Bills’ offense. It will be another test for Sean McDermott, Bobby Babich, and the Bills defense to limit their explosive plays and keep them in check.
Puka Nacua was mic’d up on Sunday and his sideline speech to the Rams’ other receivers shows why he’s such a great teammate
Puka Nacua has become a fan favorite in Los Angeles largely because of two things: his remarkable play on the field and his funny personality off it. But the Rams’ second-year receiver also has a passionate and fiery side, which he showed on Sunday night when he was mic’d up against the Philadelphia Eagles.
When the game was out of reach and the Rams were on their way to their sixth loss of the season, Nacua brought together the wide receivers and gave a passionate speech about how they’ll respond and go back to work.
“Every new week, we got to drive the bus harder than we (expletive) did before,” he said. “We got to drive that (expletive) harder than ever before. It’s going to come through us. We knew that already. We got to drive that (expletive) thing straight through the mud, bro. No matter what it takes. Until the (expletive) wheels fall off. We’ll find a way to rebuild that (expletive), bro. We got numbers. Strength in our numbers. We’re built for this (expletive).”
After the game was over, Nacua made sure to tell every Rams receiver that they did a great job and he loves them. He also checked on Matthew Stafford to make sure he was good after taking a beating from Eagles defenders in the loss.
Nacua absolutely has a fun-loving side, but his passion for winning and succeeding on the field deserves praise, too. It’s why Sean McVay and his teammates speak so highly of him every time his name is brought up.
A sea of Eagles fans took over SoFi Stadium, carrying Philadelphia to its 7th straight win on Sunday night as Saquon Barkley rushed for 255 yards on the night
The Eagles are 9-2 and have won seven straight games after Saquon Barkley exploded in the running game, and A.J. Brown was dominant in the passing game. Philadelphia put the league on notice with a 37-20 win at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
If not for a late Matthew Stafford touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp, Philadelphia would have exited Los Angeles with a 37-14 road win just seven days before a monster matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13.
Barkley rushed for 255 yards on the night and had 302 total yards of offense in a game that saw A.J. Brown log 109 yards receiving and a touchdown on seven targets.
Darius Slay walks Quinyon Mitchell through Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacau’s route tree ahead of Eagles vs. Rams
Darius Slay is the gift that keeps on giving.
As the All-Pro veteran enters what could be his final stretch of games in Philadelphia, the cornerback has poured all his knowledge and skills into Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.
As he did ahead of the Thursday night matchup against Washington, Slay walked Mitchell through some of the routes he’ll see on Sunday night against the Rams star duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
Darius Slay is going through a whole pregame routine once again showing Quinyon Mitchell all of the moves that Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and the Rams receivers have. pic.twitter.com/54m5U2xdJ9
The Eagles started the season out 2-2. Still, the lights went on defensively when Cooper DeJean entered the starting lineup following a training camp and preseason that saw the rookie out of Iowa miss time with a soft tissue injury.
Mitchell has been lights out from Day 1, and both players have made Philadelphia’s veteran and captain, Darius Slay, very happy. Talking to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia after practice on Friday, Slay jokingly referred to the young duo as “his children,” praising both players.
Mitchell is the only NFL cornerback with 375+ coverage snaps and 0 passing touchdowns allowed this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Mitchell, who has limited opponents to a 51.1% completion percentage and 71.4 passer rating, also ranks 2nd among NFL CBs with a 23.4% forced incompletion percentage, behind Denzel Ward (31.3%) (min. 30 targets). Overall, the rookie ranks 3rd among NFL CBs with 11 forced incompletions, trailing only Ward (15) and Paulson Adebo (12).
A.J. Brown explains why he’ll be watching Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua when Eagles are on defense
A.J. Brown is one of the top five wide receivers in the NFL, but he’s always working to improve, and he’s not afraid to borrow a specific release or adjust his routes based on what he sees from his peers at the position. Philadelphia will face an explosive Rams offense featuring their star wide receiver duo Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
Last week, Kupp and Nacua combined for 229 receiving yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots, a reminder of their dominance when healthy. Injuries have limited Kupp and Nacua this season, but since each of their returns in Week 8, they’re on par as one of the most potent one-two punches in the game.
Since returning from injury, Kupp has 29 catches for 341 yards and three scores, going over 100 yards in two of the four games. Nacua has been even better, catching 24 passes for 338 yards and a touchdown.
Like the Bengals game with Ja’Marr Chase, Brown said he’ll be standing on the sideline to watch Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua when the Eagles are on defense.
“There’s something I can learn. If I see something I like, I may do it in the game.”
Similar to the Bengals game, A.J. Brown said he’ll be standing on the sideline to watch Kupp/Nacua when Eagles are on defense: “There’s something I can learn. If I see something I like, I may do it in the game.” https://t.co/7BZSm0G9uk
Brown ranks 1st in the NFL among players with 30+ receptions and an 18.7 receiving average. Brown (team-leading 618 receiving yards) also ranks 4th overall in receiving yards per game (88.3) behind Nico Collins (103.5), Ja’Marr Chase (96.0), and Justin Jefferson (91.2).
Brown and DeVonta Smith are one of two NFL WR duos with multiple 40+ yard touchdowns, joining New Orleans (Shaheed and Valdes-Scantling).
Puka Nacua has one specific memory of his pre-draft meeting with the Patriots
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua had a tremendous game against the New England Patriots in Week 11.
He had seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. It was his first encounter with New England as a member of the Rams. However, he has a bit of a history with the Patriots’ organization from his college days.
The Patriots met with Nacua at the Senior Bowl in the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, and the budding star receiver remembers wondering if the team was interested in drafting him after a conversation.
“I remember actually they were asking me about my blue light glasses,” said Nacua, via NESN.com’s Sean T. McGuire. “…I was like ‘Oh, man, maybe they thought I was really prepared to take care of my body, which I feel like I’m getting better at. But that was one of the things I remember from the Patriots interview.”
The Patriots ultimately passed on Nacua, and the Rams ended up taking him in the fifth round.
Nacua has gone on to be one of the most impactful receivers in the NFL in his first two seasons. He burst onto the scene last year, recording 1,486 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Injuries have slowed him down so far this season.
Nevertheless, there is no denying the Patriots could have used his dynamic playmaking ability.
Puka Nacua doesn’t plan to watch any of the afternoon games before Rams-Eagles on Sunday. In fact, he doesn’t watch much football in general.
Puka Nacua is one of the best football players on the planet but he doesn’t watch much of the sport he plays for a living. That might seem hard to believe, but it’s true.
He’s simply “not a big football watcher.”
Nacua was asked what his plans are Sunday before the Rams play the Eagles in the night game, and he told reporters that he doesn’t plan to watch the games that are on TV.
Instead, he’ll try to sleep as much as possible, get some food – at the request of the team nutritionist – and prepare for the Rams’ marquee matchup with the 8-2 Eagles.
“I’m not a big football watcher, so I’ll probably try to sleep as much as I can,” he said. “Then I’m sure our nutritionist would love for me to eat some food the day of the game. So that would probably be in a game plan somewhere.”
Nacua isn’t the only player who’s said he doesn’t watch much football. It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy it, he just doesn’t want to give his energy to any other games besides the one he has to play.
“No, not really, not too often,” he said when asked if he really doesn’t watch football. “I mean, I’ll watch our tape and if everybody is sitting down and watching the game, but if we’re playing, it’ll just be too much of a rush of emotions before I’ve got to have my game. So I’m like, I’m not trying to give anybody else my energy. Got to save it all up for whenever that kickoff is.”
Seeing how much passion Nacua plays with, it’s probably a good thing that he saves up his energy for his own games. Though, it does seem impossible for him to ever run out of gas with how amped up he always is.
