Puka Nacua stole the present. Davante Adams was a supporting participant.
That was the story for the star receivers within the Rams’ season-opening victory over the Houston Texans.
Nobody was complaining.
Besides, maybe, fantasy soccer gamers who drafted Adams.
“That’s not in the forefront of my mind,” Adams, chuckling, mentioned this week. “I know they think it is. I’m just out here trying to win games and contribute and make plays when I can.”
Nacua dismissed a reduce above his eye that required stitches and caught 10 passes for 130 yards. Adams, making his Rams debut, caught 4 passes for 51 yards.
Because the season progresses — beginning with Sunday’s sport towards the Tennessee Titans in Nashville — coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford are apt to even out the targets.
“I’m excited about being able to learn — and it’s a good thing to be able to figure out how to get those guys involved,” McVay mentioned because the Rams ready for a Titans (0-1) crew that can be enjoying its residence opener.
Nissan Stadium in Nashville was the setting for one of many first large moments of McVay’s tenure.
In 2017, McVay’s first season, the Rams clinched the NFC West with a victory over the Titans made attainable by then-rookie receiver Cooper Kupp’s diving landing catch.
Final March, just a few days after they agreed to phrases with the three-time All-Professional Adams, the Rams launched Kupp, the 2021 NFL offensive participant of the yr and most useful participant of Tremendous Bowl LVI.
Since final visiting Tennessee, the Rams have performed in two Tremendous Bowls and gained a title. They’ve been to the playoffs six instances in McVay’s eight seasons.
With a deep and gifted roster, they’re thought to be Tremendous Bowl contenders.
However a lot of that rides on how McVay can mix Nacua and Adams.
“I thought it was a good start,” McVay mentioned of the opener.
Rams huge receiver Puka Nacua evades a Houston Texans defender after making a catch throughout the Rams’ win on Sept. 7.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Occasions)
Late within the first quarter towards the Texans, Nacua caught a cross for a primary down, after which left the sphere and went to the locker room, the place he was evaluated for a concussion and obtained stitches.
“I felt like half my face had fallen off into my facemask that was all the way over here,” Nacua mentioned, gesturing past his left shoulder.
However the third-year professional demonstrated his trademark toughness and returned.
Adams famous that Nacua “bounced up” after taking hits towards the Texans, got here again after receiving stitches and continued to excel.
“It’s hard to stop a pit bull once you get going,” Adams mentioned. “That’s clearly what you get from somebody like Puka.”
Or anyone like Adams.
On the Rams’ third play, Adams absorbed a serious hit after changing a 3rd down, however he popped to his ft and pointed downfield, signaling first down.
That set the tone, Nacua mentioned.
“To give that exclamation point of being like, ‘All right, we’re here, we’re going to take your best shot, and we’re going to stand up and we’re going to get ready to march the ball forward,’” Nacua mentioned, including, “There’s a toughness that you earn the right to play with in the NFL, and he definitely has that.”
As does Nacua, who has mentioned that his bodily type was borne from competing towards older brothers. These siblings pumped him up as a youth by slapping him laborious on his shoulders throughout automotive rides to video games. Nacua had school teammates slap him on his shoulder pads earlier than every collection, and he recruited a number of Rams teammates to do the identical.
“It’s always nice to get a little wake up on the sideline before you officially get hit by somebody else out there,” Nacua mentioned.
Rams receivers have a saying, Adams mentioned: “You can’t live forever.”
“Sometimes you have to go across the middle and make that play,” he mentioned. “You can’t just let a ball soar past your eyes just because you’re in harm’s way. It sounds kind of crazy, but that’s what you signed up for when you want to be a receiver in this league.”
Within the opener, Adams and Nacua made pivotal performs for lengthy features.
Adams’ textbook back-shoulder catch alongside the left sideline netted 24 yards. It was the form of play the Rams envisioned after they paired Stafford, a Seventeenth-year professional who performed 12 seasons for the Detroit Lions, with Adams, a Twelfth-year professional who performed his first eight seasons with the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
“I know he is really good at that kind of stuff from playing against him and watching him do it and tormenting my team back in the day,” Stafford mentioned, laughing.
Stated Adams: “It’s a good building block.”
Nacua caught a no-look cross for 25 yards within the fourth quarter. Within the ultimate collection, he caught a brief cross and clinched the victory by turning it right into a 24-yard acquire.
Which receiver will get the main position every week can be decided by how opponents try to cease them.
“I’m sure there’ll be times when he’s lighting it up and they say, ‘All right, let’s try to tilt over there, maybe we’ll stop that, see if that works,’” Adams mentioned. “Then I’ll be one-on-one and have a lot more opportunities as well.
“It’s a long season and I think everybody here knows that.”
