Despite the Los Angeles Rams losing to the Seattle Seahawks, Puka Nacua had a fantastic performance in Week 16, with 12 catches, 225 yards, and two touchdowns. With fantasy football championships on the line, there was an expectation that he could produce similar numbers against the Atlanta Falcons, who are already eliminated from playoff contention.
However, that is not the case, as he is off to a slow start against the Falcons on Monday Night Football.
Is Puka Nacua Injured? Making Sense Of The Receiver’s Performance Vs. Falcons
Puka had just two catches for 18 yards in the first half of the game, being a non-factor for the Rams as the Atlanta Falcons scored the first 21 points. This led to speculation about a possible injury for the superstar wide receiver, but that’s not the case.
Nacua has no injury. He’s fully healthy and is playing against the Atlanta Falcons in a normal way. But the offense struggled for most of the first half, and he couldn’t shine, with a single catch in his first three targets. The passing offense as a whole couldn’t do much in the first half, with Stafford throwing two interceptions and completing just over 50% of his throws.
The Falcons were already eliminated from the playoffs, with many factors contributing to a poor season. The lack of development from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. contributed to the issue, along with his injuries. Still, they walked into the game with a two-game winning streak and managed to complicate the life of Stafford and the Rams.
Nacua suffered as a result. He had a big play negated due to an illegal formation, and otherwise was a non-factor. It was a surprising game, considering he’s one of the contenders for the Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) award. Before Week 17, he had 114 receptions and 1,592 yards, along with eight touchdowns.
Nacua is considered the best wide receiver in the league for the 2025 season based on our PFSN WR Impact Metric. He currently has an impact score of 99.5, significantly above the 95.4 score of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is in second place. The pair is directly competing for the OPOY award in the 2025 season.
Losing by 21 points at halftime means that the Rams will prioritize the passing game in the second half, with Nacua likely to earn a higher number of targets than the four he had in the first half. A silver lining for the offense is that, based on their performances throughout the year and how they’re playing, there’s no way it can get worse.
