Getty Puka Nacua sprints to the end zone in the Rams' 36-19 romp of the Browns on December 3, 2023.
The Los Angeles Rams now have the league’s only 1,000-yard rookie wide receiver.
Puka Nacua officially crossed the century mark in Week 13 of the 36-19 rout of the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, December 3. And he accelerated 70 yards to the end zone in the first quarter to reach that milestone.
70-YARDER FROM STAFFORD TO PUKA FOR SIX!
📺 @NFLonFOX | 🗳️ t.co/0NZzTbOecV
Nacua has galloped his way to 1,029 yards with five games left. Meanwhile, one struggling offense was reminded they passed on the fifth round find out of Brigham Young University.
Which Team Was Reminded of Passing on Puka Nacua?
The Los Angeles Chargers got called out for passing on the 177th selection of the draft. Their gaffe was plastered during their abysmal 6-0 win over the now 2-10 New England Patriots.
Here are WRs drafted after #Chargers Quentin Johnston 😳😳
Zay Flowers
Jordan Addison
Jayden Reed
Rashee Rice
Tank Dell
Josh Downs
Michael Wilson
Puka Nacua
That game saw the Bolts rack up just 241 total yards and converted on five of their 15 third down attempts. They’ve also only produced two 300-yard passing days this season. Beforehand, it turned out the Bolts were more intrigued by Quentin Johnston over Nacua during the draft.
Not long ago, the TCU star drew rave reviews for his towering 6-foot-4 frame and aggressive hands. Johnston, though, has struggled immensely in his NFL debut.
He botched this third down pass that saw him wide open with one defender to beat in front of him.
Quentin Johnston drops a perfect throw from Justin Herbert. Brutal
Johnston then stopped his feet after contact on this short throw his side.
Quentin Johnston putting defenders on his back⚡️😂
While other late round receivers have out-performed Johnston, it’s Nacua who becomes the ultimate draft snub for the Rams’ L.A. neighbor.
Comparison Between Rookie L.A. Wideouts
By taking a deeper dive into the production of both rookies, Johnston’s trek is more alarming than Nacua. The Ram has shown immediate promise in short timing.
Nacua has posted five 100-yard games already. That includes shredding the Browns for 105 yards on just four catches. Nacua has even hit those accomplishments playing next to All-Pro Cooper Kupp, still the main focus of the offense.
Johnston, however, is yet to surpass 100 yards in a game. Worse, Johnston hasn’t surpassed 60 receiving yards in a contest.
The Rams have already witnessed four Nacua touchdowns. The Chargers with Johnston? Just one end zone trip, which didn’t occur until the November 12 game versus the Detroit Lions.
Finally, Nacua has 77 receptions and is averaging 6.4 receptions per game. He’s also averaging 13.4 yards per catch. Johnston has snatched only 26 receptions for 242 yards — giving him a low average of 9.3 yards per catch.
A likely argument will be Johnston playing with savvy veterans Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, which limits his targets. But, he still has more catches than the latter. Furthermore, Johnston is in an offense that turned CeeDee Lamb into a Pro Bowl target.
Nacua even won over his team by returning from a fierce hit to his ribs that had him leave momentarily. But his grit, persona and work ethic continues to win over his head coach Sean McVay.
“He’s done a great job and the best thing about him is he’s going to just continue to get better, continue to be coachable and accountable and only going to take steps in this type of direction and we love him,” McVay told reporters postgame.
The Rams are proving they’re the ones who made the best wideout discovery in the 2023 class — as the Chargers toil in accepting who they passed over.
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Struggling Offense Called Out for Passing on Rams’ Puka Nacua