(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Puka Nacua is on the precipice of NFL history.
After his dominant performance on Thursday Night Football in the Los Angeles Rams’ dismantling of the New Orleans Saints, Nacua’s receiving total for the season is 1,327 yards.
This is good for the second-most yards of any receiver on the year, an impressive feat by itself.
But, as Adam Schefter pointed out, Nacua is only 154 yards away from the rookie record for single-season receiving yards.
This would be the third time in Matthew Stafford’s career that he helped a receiver achieve an NFL record.
In 2012, Calvin Johnson set the NFL single season record with 1,964 receiving yards. His QB was Matthew Stafford.
In 2021, Cooper Kupp had the second most receiving yards in a single season in NFL history with 1,947. His QB was – and still is – Matthew Stafford.
Puka Nacua… pic.twitter.com/sg0whgea75
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 22, 2023
He helped set the first record with Calvin Johnson in Detroit in 2012.
Johnson’s 2012 season yielded 1,964 receiving yards, still the record for most receiving yards in a single year.
The next record Stafford helped set was with Cooper Kupp in 2021, who has the most receptions in a single season.
With Nacua less than 200 yards away and two games to go, it seems like he should easily beat this record.
When Stafford develops a strong rapport with a receiver, that player tends to do well throughout their NFL career.
Nacua might be a rookie, but if he stays connected to Stafford for the foreseeable future, his career will start on the right foot.
Not a bad start for a fifth-round draft pick.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for the Rams and what the feedback will be about Stafford and Nacua when this record is achieved.
They are on the cusp of a playoff berth, and Nacua has been a big part of that.
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