Rams’ Puka Nacua furthers OROY case, inches closer to rookie mark

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – After Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua was drafted in April, he had simple goals.

“I was wondering how would I block well enough to get on the field and if I was going to be a special teams player and how I was going to be able to figure that out,” Nacua said.

He wasn't focused on his yardage total for the season and “certainly not” on how he might be within striking distance of the record for receiving yards by a rookie.

But with nine catches for 164 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 30-22 win over the New Orleans Saints, Nacua continued to post numbers that propelled him into the NFL's offensive rookie conversation. 'year, although behind a big favorite in the Houston Texans. quarterback CJ Stroud. Nacua needs 147 receiving yards over the Rams' final two games for the most by a rookie in NFL history.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Stroud had a “great year” but Nacua “will get my vote.”

“He’s really special,” McVay said. “But the best thing about him is he doesn't worry about those things. He just cares about being a good teammate, about continuing to improve his game. [I] I love this team. And he's one of those guys you really like.”

Nacua has 96 catches for 1,327 yards and five touchdowns this season, including six games with at least 100 receiving yards.

This season, Stroud completed 62.4% of his passes for 3,631 yards and 20 touchdowns. His yardage total ranks sixth among all quarterbacks this year, despite playing in just 13 games. Stroud is currently in the concussion protocol and did not play in Week 15.

On Thursday, Nacua had his third game with 150 receiving yards, making him the fifth player in NFL history to achieve the feat in a player's first 15 career games, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Bill Groman, who holds the rookie record for receiving yards, had four in his first 15 games in 1960.

And despite Nacua's individual success on Thursday, when asked if he was in contention for OROY, he quickly turned the conversation to what the game meant for the team.

“I think it’s cool,” Nacua said. “It's funny when my family sends stuff, but I guess that's not my main goal. It's fun to be in every soccer game we've played since we were able to come back from the bye. And what coach has been preaching is these games that we play in December where the playoffs have already started for us. So to kind of be in that playoff mindset already has been fun. is definitely something I'm not used to, although “We're playing at the end of December, so we're finding ways to adapt to that. But it's been great fun. “