The Los Angeles Rams (6-6) picked up a pivotal win on Sunday afternoon, defeating the New Orleans Saints (4-8) on the road. It was not the greatest performance from second-year star receiver Puka Nacua, but did etch his name into the history books as one of the best young pass catchers ever.
In the 21-14 win over the Saints, Nacua earned 56 receiving yards on five catches and a touchdown. Those 56 yards put him just over 2,000 career receiving yards halfway through his second season in the league. He joins some of the biggest names in the sport at his position and rightfully so.
Nacua tied Minnesota Vikings Justin Jefferson and Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers at 24 games played to reach that total. Former Rams Odell Beckham Jr. hit that milestone in just 21 games which is the NFL record. Nacua has had incredible production in such a short time.
WR Puka Nacua (@AsapPuka) surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards in his 24th career game today. He tied Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase as the second-fastest players to reach 2000 receiving yards since the 1970 merger. Odell Beckham Jr accomplished the feat in 21 games. pic.twitter.com/kPg7hErKdI
— Los Angeles Rams PR (@TheLARamsPR) December 1, 2024
Nacua played in all 17 games last season, 1,486 receiving yards with six touchdown grabs. He has only played in seven games this year after working through a nasty knee injury that bit him during their Week 1 game in Detroit. Nacua has 546 receiving yards on 42 receptions this season.
It makes it much easier to get to 2,000 receiving yards when the receiver is posting 100-yard games consistently. In a shortened season for Nacua, he has already posted three triple-digit receiving yard games and was two yards away from a fourth. He has 11 career 100-yard games in just 24 games.
The Rams have received immense credit over the past few season for their drafting ability and knack for talent that always seems to flourish and produce no matter where they draft. Nacua was a fifth-round in 2023 and has played like a top five pick in that draft class.
To have a franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford that oozes consistency and success, it only makes the job easier for a guy like Nacua to go out and execute at the highest level. He would still succeed in any offense due to his skill set, but having Stafford has benefitted his career in a big way.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Rams Star WR Reaches Yet Another Milestone.