The offensive gameplan for the Los Angeles Rams was clear at the start of Saturday’s NFC wild-card game against the Carolina Panthers – find a way to get Puka Nacua the football. It worked, as the Rams survived the Panthers’ upset bid with a 34-31 road victory to advance to the divisional round.
Nacua had three catches, 40 yards and a touchdown on the Rams’ opening drive. On the Rams’ third series, the wideout caught a backwards pass from Matthew Stafford maneuvered around a couple of defenders and found the end zone to give Los Angeles a 14-0 advantage in the second quarter.
Nacua’s second score went down as a 5-yard rushing touchdown.
Nacua’s big first half could have been even more pronounced, but the receiver committed a critical drop that cost the Rams a potential touchdown before halftime. His final stat line was 10 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown, to go with three carries for 14 yards and a touchdown.
The third-year wide receiver entered the postseason coming off another superb regular season. He tallied an NFL-high 129 catches for 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named an NFL first-team All-Pro for his efforts.