He was everything for the Rams, accounting for 49.3% of Matthew Stafford’s 367 passing yards and picking up six of the offense’s 22 first downs either with a catch or by drawing pass interference.
And as he has all year, Nacua made near-reckless catches in traffic look easy. He showed not just willingness but excitement to fight for extra ground. The 22-year-old gained 59 receiving yards after contact, per Next Gen Stats, the fourth-most in a game this season. That’s on top of his 297 after contact during the regular season, second-most in the NFL.
Nacua’s most momentous contributions came at the start of the second quarter, trailing, 14-3, and in the fourth quarter during the Rams’ final drive.
Following the second of what would prove to be three straight TDs by Detroit to start the contest, the Rams desperately needed a score to keep pace when Nacua took over.
He accounted for Los Angeles’ final 60 yards of a 72-yard scoring drive, first plucking a 10-yard dart from Stafford out of the air in a crowd of three defenders. On the next snap, the rookie came in motion on third-and-1 to the left of the formation, froze Cam Sutton with a hesitation move and collected a long heave before knifing between Sutton and C.J. Gardner-Johnson to find the end zone.
Later, with the Rams backed up on their own 10 and facing a 1-point deficit with 6:36 remaining, he caught a crosser near the sticks, broke a tackle and streaked 35 yards in total to set Los Angeles up with the ball near midfield at the 45.
Like most of the offense’s drives all night, though, this one eventually stalled in Lions’ territory.
Stafford went to Nacua again on a crucial third-and-14, but he was unable to collect a catch after some contact from Sutton at the top of his route.
The Rams punted, never to see the ball again.
That was partly the story for McVay’s offense, which benefitted from Nacua’s stellar play and a vintage performance from Stafford, but had to settle for field goals on the Lions’ 11-yard line or closer three separate times.
It’ll be a lesson learned for the Rams as they return next year — to the chagrin of 31 other teams — with Nacua benefitting from a full season of exemplary play under his belt.
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
