Rams' Puka Nacua furthers OROY case, inches closer to rookie mark - ESPN

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

«I was thinking about how would I be able to 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.

His focus was not on his yardage total for the season and «definitely not» about how he could 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 victory over the New Orleans Saints, Nacua continued to put up numbers that have thrust him into the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation, albeit behind a heavy favorite in Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Nacua needs 147 receiving yards over the Rams' last two games to have the most by a rookie in NFL history.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Stroud has had a «great year» but that Nacua «would get my vote.»

«He's really special,» McVay said. «But the best part about him is, he doesn't worry about those things. He worries about just being a great teammate, continuing to improve his game. [I] sure love this team. And he's one of those guys that you really love.»

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 has 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 do so through a