Sad News: Puka Nacua I Am In Big Trouble With My Team Management..
The Los Angeles Rams season came to an end in wild fashion losing to the Detroit Lions 24-23. Sean McVay had a few interesting comments after the game and while they did not want their season to end this early, they have a lot to look forward to for next year.
Most notably, there super star rookie receiver Puka Nacua. He continued his record breaking regular season by having the best rookie playoff game at the position ever. Ncua caught 9 passes for 181 yards breaking the record for most receiving yards in a playoff game by a rookie. It is safe to say that Nacua had the best rookie season ever for a receiver and he is just getting started.
Puka has been spectacular with quarterback Matthew Staffod throwing him the ball and because of injuries to Cooper Kupp, Puka was the number one receiver for the Rams the whole season, and clearly the number one in this playoff game. The lights were not too bright for Puka in the playoffs and that is perhaps the best thing the Rams can take away from this playoff loss.
Sean McVay must be incredibly happy with his two rookies on offense Puka and Kyren Williams. Specifically for Puka though, this was not just a great rookie year from him but the best ever. He looked like a veteran in his understanding of the game and his expertise on how the quarterback thinks.
He was getting open against the best defenses in the league, and his route running and hands are clearly top notch. There is not reason that Puka will not continue to be amazing in McVay’s offense for many years to come. Puka finished the year with 105 catches for 1,486 yards, and 6 touchdowns.
The Los Angeles Rams have been on the rise for second half of the regular season and find themselves in the playoffs now with a huge wild card matchup against the Detroit Lions. The biggest story line of this huge matchup is the Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff angle as they are both facing their previous teams and they both have a lot to prove in this game.
While Stafford already has a Super Bowl victory, there is definitely more pressure on Jared Goff to beat his former team and the Lions have been dreaming of a playoff game for long time. Stafford played with the Lions for a long time and this will be emotional to say the least but he has not lost sight of the fact that he is the enemy now of his former team in this game.
Stafford was candid about facing his former team and about he much he loved his time there, but he made sure to talk about how focused he and the Rams are for this week and that while he has amazing memories with this team, he would like nothing more than to go back there and get another win.
Stafford was the #1 overall pick by the Lions back in 2009 and spent 12 seasons with the team. He is not expecting the warmest welcome in his return to Detroit saying:
“I’m not expecting anything, to be honest with you,” Stafford told reporters Wednesday. “I was asked this question a couple times just by friends and family, and I think the biggest thing for me is just to go and experience whatever that experience is gonna be. I understand what the people of Detroit and the city of Detroit meant to me in my time and my career, what they meant to my family.”
Clearly the city of Detroit and that team mean so much to him and he is incredibly fond of his time there. He also moved on from them and won a Super Bowl so everything worked out for him. Jared Goff on the other hand was sent away after making it to the Super Bowl and still has a lot to prove.
Stafford knows that the Lions have been dying for a playoff win so they will definitely not be cheering for him or for him to do well saying:“I hope they feel that back, but at the same time I’m not a stranger to the situation and understanding that I’m the bad guy coming to town.”
He knows the the Rams are the bad guy and that they will get no love when going into to Detroit for this game. This is the first time Stafford is returning to his former team’s stomping grounds since the trade and it should be set up to be an incredible wild card playoff game with both teams feeling hot going into the playoffs.
Both teams have higher expectations than just winning a single playoff game so whoever comes away with this revenge game will look to build on it throughout the playoffs.
