INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Ever the stickler for details, Puka Nacua doesn’t get bored with the small stuff.
Nacua, Cooper Kupp and the rest of the Los Angeles Rams pass-catchers work regularly on the meticulous art of tapping their toes in-bounds with receivers coach Eric Yarber. That diligence paid off big time for the second-year pro in his team’s 44-42 upset win over the Buffalo Bills — one of the AFC’s Super Bowl contenders — on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Nacua made two highlight-reel catches along the sideline, showing off his toe-drag swag.
“We do it all the time in practice,” Kupp told FOX Sports. “We do a ‘Tap, Tap’ drill and a ‘Tap, Turn’ drill. We probably hit it every week. It’s real simple. … It’s just about running your route, keeping your eye on the football and your feet are going to do the rest.”
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Nacua’s hands and feet did everything on Sunday, as he finished with 12 receptions for 162 yards on 14 targets, 178 total yards and two touchdowns. For his effort, Nacua earned Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game.
“To get an award from Tom Brady, having one of the greatest players in the world compliment your play style and earn some extra hardware, it was sweet,” Nacua told FOX Sports. “I’ll add it to the collection, and hopefully save a spot for the Lombardi Trophy.”
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Rams’ Puka Nacua | Week 14 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Last year, as an unheralded fifth-round selection, Nacua set NFL rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486). And he made history again on Sunday, becoming just the second player in league history with at least 150 receptions, 2,000 receiving yards and seven TD receptions through his first 25 games.
According to Next Gen Stats, since returning from a knee injury in Week 8, Nacua has been targeted on 38.8% of his routes — the highest rate among receivers with at least 100 routes run during that span.
Nacua was part of an impressive offensive explosion for the Rams, as they scored a season-high 44 points against one of the top defenses in the league.
Rams head coach Sean McVay had high praise for his star receiver.
“An igniter is one of the biggest compliments I can give somebody,” McVay said. “You elevate everyone around you, and you bring an energy to this football team. And he certainly did that today.”
McVay and the Rams needed every one of Nacua’s catches, as the Bills were down by as many as 17 points but still had a chance to win it at the end.
Winners of seven straight entering Sunday’s contest and led by MVP front-runner Josh Allen, the Bills refused to go away. Los Angeles got a blocked punt for a score, a 320-yard passing performance from Matthew Stafford and a final recovery of a Tyler Bass onside kick by running back Ronnie Rivers to close the game out.
“It’s a big deal for us,” Rams offensive lineman Steven Avila said about the win, which brings Los Angeles (7-6) within a game of first place in the hotly contested NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks. “You want to play every opponent the same. That’s our mindset. But the way we handled this week, it showed up on the field.
“They are a really good team. They’re going to go far in the playoffs, and we also feel like we have the tools to get those things done.”
Nacua made his first acrobatic catch along the sideline for 19 yards on second-and-10 from midfield with the Rams up 17-14 midway through the second quarter.
“That was crazy,” Avila said about the catch. “I didn’t even see that. I didn’t even look; I just saw first down. But then they played it again and I was like, ‘Oh my God, only him.”
Added Rams rookie defensive end Jared Verse: “I’ve never seen anything like that. You just never get used to it. Sometimes you see a ball and you think, ‘That’s going out of bounds.’ But then he catches it.”
Nacua made another diving, toe-dragging catch to move the chains in the second half, then put a punctuation mark on his performance when Stafford audibled to a bubble screen with Buffalo showing an all-out blitz.
“I thought Matthew was in total command,” McVay said. “He ends up getting us in the right play on Puka’s touchdown when they brought the zero blitz. And that was kind of reflective of what he did all day.”
Nacua caught the pass and raced 19 yards for the winning score with 1:54 left. Nacua sprung loose on the strength of impressive blocks from offensive lineman Rob Havenstein and Kupp.
Limping and a little dinged up afterward in the locker room, Nacuas said nothing will keep him from playing on a short week in an NFC West divisional matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. And he gave credit to his teammates for his great day on Sunday.
“I just try to make the plays when the ball comes my way,” Nacua said. “No. 9 [Stafford] does a great job of orchestrating our offense, putting the ball in the place where it needs to be for us to make plays. I’m grateful to that guy, and all of our guys for contributing to this win.
“And it feels great to get into the end zone, for sure.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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