When a player isn’t on the field, it can sometimes be easy to forget how talented he is. That might’ve been the case a little bit with Puka Nacua, who missed the last five games with a knee injury but returned somewhat unexpectedly on Thursday night against the Vikings.
And he quickly reminded everyone just how good he is, dominating from the start in his first game back. Well, maybe not right from the start because he dropped his first target of the night, but he got going quickly.
In the first quarter alone, Nacua caught three passes for 50 yards, helping the Rams make a statement with an opening-drive touchdown. His receptions went for 13 yards, 21 yards and 16 yards, breaking off big chunks of yardage from the start.
And then on the Rams’ second drive, he added another 14-yard reception and a 7-yard rush, giving him 71 yards from scrimmage on the first two possessions of the game.
Breaking tackles and a first down… Puka is BACK! #MINvsLAR on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/bbNOIjIkoe— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2024
He and Cooper Kupp even got a shoutout from LeBron James, who’s happy to see the two Rams receivers back on the field.
Same @KingJames, same.
pic.twitter.com/3cVlpg2HR0
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 25, 2024