"Puka became PBU-ka. That's shorthand for Pass Breakup, and Nacua executed that beautifully on a soft, high pass from Matthew Stafford that sailed over Nacua's head and into the hands of leaping Panthers safety Nick Scott, who was falling back into the end zone. Nacua, who scored back-to-back touchdowns early in the game, suddenly became a defender and jarred the ball loose before Scott could secure it."
""I thought [Nacua] was going to go up there and kind of post up, and I was like, 'OK, let's see what you got,'" Stafford said. "I threw it and as soon as I cut it loose, he kind of turned away and it was just tough timing. But what a play to go fight through it and get that thing knocked out.""
"It was a moment that should be memorialized on Nacua's robust career highlight reel, and helped him atone for a rare dropped would-be touchdown at the end of the first half. Nacua should be the NFL's offensive player of the year, and the Rams aren't going to make a playoff run unless he turns in big game after big game. "He's a freaking warrior," coach Sean McVay said."
At Bank of America Stadium Puka Nacua scored back-to-back touchdowns and later broke up a potential interception in the fourth quarter, knocking the ball loose from Panthers safety Nick Scott. He finished with a game-high 10 receptions for 111 yards and also had a rare dropped would-be touchdown at the end of the first half. Nacua's defensive play preserved a 34-31 Rams victory and underscored his importance to the offense. Coach Sean McVay called him "a freaking warrior." Each of the Rams' prior losses this season had been by a touchdown or less, and the team finally found a way to win when dangled over a cliff.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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