Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua is a few yards and receptions shy of making more history in what has already been a historic rookie season.
But with the Rams having clinched a playoff spot, it wasn’t clear early in the week whether the team would risk injury by having the former BYU Cougar play.
Los Angeles has already announced that quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Cooper Kupp and Nacua’s fellow rookie, running back Kyren Williams, will stay safe on the bench.
Will Puka Nacua play Sunday?
But on Wednesday, Rams head coach Sean McVay made it clear that the team will give Nacua a shot to add a couple more records to his resume for offensive Rookie of the Year.
“I think you’d like to be able to see him get an opportunity to do something special and then be smart with him,” he told reporters, according to Pro Football Talk.
What NFL records could Puka Nacua break Sunday?
The “something special” that McVay referenced is most likely the 29 yards and four receptions Nacua needs to break the rookie records for most receptions and receiving yards in a single season, as the Deseret News has previously reported.
The rookie record for receiving yards has stood since 1960 when the Houston Oilers’ Bill Gorman finished the season with 1,473 yards.
In 2021, Jaylen Waddle set the record for most receptions by a rookie with 104.
But McVay’s comment about “being smart with him” likely means Nacua won’t break his three-way tie with Harlon Hill (1954), Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) and Justin Jefferson for second-most games with over 100 receiving yards unless one of his receptions is like last week’s 80-yard catch and run.
If the former Orem High standout does end the game with over 100 yards, he will move into sole possession of second place with eight games of more than 100 receiving yards as a rookie. He will be unable to surpass Gorman who sits at first with nine games, according to ESPN.
Nacua and the Rams play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at 2:25 p.m. MST in their regular-season finale.
What did fellow Cougar Fred Warner say about Puka Nacua?
On Wednesday, reporters asked 49ers linebacker Fred Warner about his fellow BYU alum ahead of their teams’ Sunday matchup.
Warner shared how the two spoke last season after he met with BYU’s team ahead of their game at Stanford.
“Yeah, (I’m) really happy for Puka,” he said, according to a video shared by 49ers on NBCS. “The dude has just been dialed in. I played with his older brother (Kai Nacua) but Puka is special, like the mindset he has I think is what has allowed him to play as well as he has as a rookie. Obviously, the talent and the ability’s there, but the mindset from day one of talking to this kid — he’s made of the right stuff, so I’m not surprised by what he’s been doing.”
When the two teams played in September, Nacua finished the game with 147 receiving yards from 15 receptions and averaged 9.8 yards per reception in what was just the second game of his NFL career, according to ESPN.
Both Nacua and Warner were named to the Pro Bowl Wednesday, the Deseret News previously reported.