Puka Nacua has accomplished plenty in his first two-plus years as an NFL wide receiver.
On Sunday, though, he did something he hasn’t done before.
The Los Angeles Rams’ star receiver ended the day leading the league both in receptions (29) and receiving yards (333).
There’s a strong possibility he’ll lead the NFL in both categories after Week 3 concludes with Monday night’s matchup between the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens.
Only two receivers in Monday’s game have a realistic shot of catching Nacua in either receptions or receiving yards: the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown (13 receptions, 160 yards) or the Ravens’ Zay Flowers (14 receptions, 218 yards).
Nacua bumped up his season total to a NFL-best in both receptions and receiving yards after he caught 11 passes for 112 yards Sunday in Los Angeles’ 33-26 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
It was his second game with double-digit catches and 100-plus receiving yards this season.
Early on, it looked like Nacua’s efforts would come in a statement victory — the Rams led 19-7 at halftime and went up 26-7 after a Philadelphia turnover to start the second half led to a quick touchdown.
The Eagles rallied, though, and took a 27-26 lead with 1:48 to play on a DeVonta Smith 4-yard touchdown catch.
Philadelphia then blocked a potential game-winning field goal attempt — it was the Eagles’ second blocked field goal of the fourth quarter — and Jordan Davis ran the block back for a touchdown on the game’s final play.
That gave the Rams their first loss of the season, despite the standout day from Nacua.
Turnovers x2
Jacksonville linebacker Devin Lloyd (Utah) is showing a penchant for causing turnovers early in the year.
One week after he had an interception during the fourth quarter of a loss to Cincinnati, Lloyd recovered a fumble caused by teammate Tyson Campbell on a pass play, halting a promising drive for Houston in a tie game.
The turnover led to the game-winning touchdown drive for the Jaguars in a 17-10 victory over the Texans.
Denver outside linebacker Jonah Elliss (Utah) is off to a strong start to his sophomore season. On Sunday, that included finishing with four tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass deflection for the Broncos in a 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
His biggest impact play, though, came on special teams, when he forced a fumble on a kickoff return that led to a Denver field goal. That gave the Broncos a 17-10 lead in the third quarter.
Two weeks earlier, Elliss also came up big following a Denver turnover on a muffed punt. In a Week 1 win over Tennessee, he had a second-down sack on the Titans’ Cam Ward and, combined with another sack on the next play, the Broncos were able to avoid giving up any points on the turnover.
The touchdown club
Buffalo tight end Dalton Kincaid (Utah) caught a touchdown for the second time in three games to start the season, grabbing a 20-yard score late in the first quarter of the team’s 31-21 win over the Miami Dolphins. Four of his five receptions in the Thursday night matchup came on touchdown drives.
Fellow Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (Highland High) caught his first career touchdown, bringing in a 5-yard underhand toss from Bills quarterback Josh Allen for a score in the second quarter of Buffalo’s win over the Dolphins.
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love (Utah State) threw a 3-yard touchdown to tight end John FitzPatrick during the third quarter of the Packers’ 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns. He has five touchdown passes on the season to one interception, which came in the loss Sunday and came at a critical juncture in the game as the Browns rallied.
Team leaders
Washington linebacker Bobby Wagner (Utah State) continues to excel, even in his 14th NFL season, as he had a game-high 11 tackles (six solo), two sacks, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries for the Commanders in their 41-24 win over Las Vegas. Those were his first two sacks of the season.
The first sack — a 7-yarder late in the first half — helped halt a Las Vegas drive and gave Washington enough time to add a 56-yard Matt Gay field goal as the half expired. He also had an 11-yard sack in the second half.
Atlanta linebacker Kaden Elliss (Judge Memorial High) not only led Atlanta with nine tackles in its 30-0 loss to Carolina, he registered the team’s only sack of the day — a 7-yard loss on third down that led to stalling out a Panthers drive and forcing a field goal. He also had three tackles for loss for the Falcons.
San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner (BYU) had a team-high 11 tackles (five of which were solo) and two pass deflections in an NFC West divisional win over Arizona, 16-15. That included a third-down deflection at the line of scrimmage in the second half, as the 49ers held their opponents to 260 yards of total offense.
Buffalo cornerback Taron Johnson (Weber State) led the Bills with eight tackles — and a team-high six solo stops — while adding a tackle for loss and a pass deflection on a third-down play in the Bills’ victory over the Dolphins.
Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (Utah) put up team highs in receptions (five) and yards (66) for Buffalo against Miami. It’s his third game to start the season with four or more receptions.
Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren (Utah State, Snow College and East High) not only led the Steelers in rushing yards (47, on 18 carries) he also was tops on the team with 34 receiving yards (on five receptions) in Pittsburgh’s 21-14 win over New England.
Tennessee linebacker Cody Barton (Utah and Brighton High) again paced the Titans defense, finishing with six tackles, including five solo stops, for Tennessee in its 41-20 loss to Indianapolis.
Notable
Chicago cornerback Jaylon Johnson (Utah) was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a groin injury. He will miss at least four games while on IR.
Johnson missed all of training camp with the lingering injury that impacted him this summer. He missed the season opener and then played in Week 2 before exiting after re-aggravating the injury while breaking up a pass.
Chicago linebacker Noah Sewell (Orem High) set a career high with 11 tackles (six solo) for the Bears in their 30-14 win over Dallas. That gives him 25 tackles through three weeks.
