While Puka Nacua might not know what week it is in the NFL season, the star wide receiver has matured in a great way for the Los Angeles Rams.
When Nacua sat down with Erin Andrews for an interview on “FOX NFL Sunday,” he said he thought the team’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens was a Week 5 game, not a Week 6 tilt. But that might be the only mistake Nacua has made this season as he leads the NFL in receptions and receiving yards entering Sunday’s slate.
Now in Year 3, Nacua credited his continued rise as one of the league’s top wide receivers to his quarterback, Matthew Stafford, and how he feels more comfortable around him.
“It comes back to the people who’ve been around me,” Nacua told Andrews. “The environment has allowed me to continue to be myself. I’m still that same kid who’s trying to ask Matthew [questions]. I just don’t call him ‘Sir’ anymore. Now, we have a relationship. I tell him random things. I tell him, ‘I’m playing ‘Call of Duty.’”
When Nacua was a rookie who called Stafford “sir,” he was still pretty productive. In fact, Nacua set the rookie receiving yards record (1,486) in 2023. But as Nacua has clearly become Stafford’s favorite target, the receiver explained their connection in a way that you might see in a video game or in a cartoon.
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“It feels like there’s a trail of light or energy,” Nacua said. “Sometimes, it’s like it’s better when you’re being covered because then he’s like, ‘I’ve got to put it in one spot.’ Then, when you’re open, it’s like, ‘How do I wanna lay it up to you?’ I think that light just finds each other and the ball is exactly where it needs to be.
“Honestly, it’s like an Adele song,” Nacua added.
Puka Nacua explained his special connection with QB Matthew Stafford (right) on “FOX NFL Sunday.” (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Not only has the connection with Stafford helped Nacua lead the league in receiving through the first five weeks of the season, but it’s also helped him set records. His 52 receptions were the most in league history through the first five weeks of a season. With 558 receiving yards entering Sunday’s game, Nacua is on pace to be the first receiver in NFL history to have at least 150 receptions and 2,000 receiving yards in a season.
Yet, as the fifth-round pick continues to outperform expectations, Nacua seems to be surprised with what he’s done so far in his career.
“I see the numbers I ended with in my rookie year and I feel like it didn’t seem real,” he said.
But what Nacua does feel, though, is empowered, thanks to head coach Sean McVay.
“I just think that I am truly blessed,” Nacua said. “I think of the environment that I came into, the people who have been a part of this journey — from my dad being my first Little League football coach to having Coach McVay, who feels like a great friend, the conversations that have happened when I walk by his office. He’ll say, ‘Hey Puka, how are you doing? What’s going on?’ and just checking in with my family because he knows those are things that mean a lot to me.”
That empowerment and maturation has also helped Nacua feel more at home in Los Angeles. He told Andrews that he enjoys living in L.A., attending Lakers and Dodgers games while making trips to Erewhon.
But where Nacua really feels at home is on the football field, especially when he’s getting bumped and bruised on the occasional carry (three carries so far this season) and making blocks downfield. As Nacua’s teammates have marveled at his physical nature, he said he simply feels comfortable playing that way.
“I think that’s my safe place,” Nacua said of his physical play. “It feels like home. That reminds me of being with my brothers in the backyard. The chinstrap wasn’t strapped up. The shoulder pads were too big. We were tired of tackling the dummy. My dad said, ‘The dummy’s not moving anymore. Puka, run the ball.'”
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