The Los Angeles Rams will be playing the remainder of their game against the Seattle Seahawks without star receiver Puka Nacua after he was ejected for throwing a punch at a defender.
The personal foul on Nacua came after Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw an interception to Riq Woolen.
During Woolen’s return, Seattle cornerback Coby Bryant went to block Nacua, and the frustrated receiver clearly took exception to the way he was being pushed as he threw a punch at Bryant’s helmet.
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While Nacua likely got it worse because Bryant’s helmet protected him from the strike, a punch from any NFL player will result in an automatic ejection.
That was exactly the call once the flag was thrown, and the Rams will play the second half without one of their offensive weapons.
PUKA NACUA RACKS UP OVER 100 YARDS IN RETURN AT RAMS-VIKINGS ENDS IN CONTROVERSY
Nacua finished the game with one catch for 11 yards on four targets as the Rams’ offense had trouble with the Seahawks’ defenders in this NFC West matchup.
Nacua surprisingly returned to the Rams this past week after dealing with an injury that placed him on the injured reserve at the start of the season.
His return made an immediate impact as he led the Rams with 106 yards on seven receptions in the team’s win over the Minnesota Vikings on “Thursday Night Football.”
It goes without saying how much Nacua and Cooper Kupp mean to Sean McVay’s offense, as their production with Stafford has clear results. But Stafford will be leaning on Kupp, Demarcus Robinson and perhaps running back Kyren Williams in the pass game now that Nacua is out the rest of the way.
Nacua, a fifth-round pick out of BYU, burst onto the NFL stage with 1,486 yards with six touchdowns in his rookie campaign, shocking many who couldn’t fathom a mid-round pick having an impact like this.
Nacua was considered a top candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but Houston Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud, who led his squad to a playoff berth in his rookie campaign, received that award at the NFL Honors.
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