There hasn’t been a more productive wide receiver in the NFL through the first four weeks of the season than Los Angeles Rams third-year star Puka Nacua, and he carried that momentum into Week 5 on “Thursday Night Football” against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers.
Entering the game, Nacua had only found the end zone once but had already racked up 503 receiving yards on 42 catches, putting him firmly on pace to challenge former Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 yards set in 2012 with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback.
On Thursday, Nacua added to his hot start by hauling in 10 passes for 85 yards and his second touchdown of the year, once again fueling a Rams offense that also features wideout Davante Adams.
Following his performance, the NFL announced that Nacua made history by becoming the fastest player to reach 50 receptions in a season, setting the record for most catches through a team’s first five games.
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Nacua was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft out of BYU, and his rise hasn’t exactly been a slow one. As a rookie, he burst onto the scene with 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns.
In his second season, injuries limited his availability, but he still managed 79 catches for 990 yards and three scores, proving he was no one-year wonder.
Despite Nacua’s strong performance, the Rams ultimately came up short against the 49ers in overtime after electing to go for it on fourth-and-short instead of settling for the tying field goal.
San Francisco, which entered the game as 8.5-point underdogs according to DraftKings Sportsbook, pulled off an impressive 26-23 victory behind backup quarterback Mac Jones.
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