Puka Nacua embodies the beauty of sacrifice in the Rams' offense. He is a phenom whose contributions go beyond the stat sheet. His 2023 season was a masterclass in versatility, as he operated as both a receiver and a catalyst in the run game.
When Nacua talks about his willingness to "sacrifice" for his teammates, you hear the echoes of his upbringing as the little brother in a family, constantly beaten up by his older brothers who cultivated his penchant for toughness. Nacua enjoys the catches and touchdowns—but for the second-year standout, it appears that the dirty work, the unheralded work of creating space for others, appeals to him.
The Rams' run game thrives in motion, leading the NFL in motion-at-snap rate. Nacua's role in this ballet of deception—what we will refer to as a "boomerang motion"—is poetry in pads. He darts across the formation, returns, inserts himself into the C-gap like a phantom fullback, and climbs to the second or third level to neutralize linebackers.
It's football geometry at its finest: turning one gap into two, a trick McVay wields like a scalpel. Nacua isn't just blocking; he's designing chaos, a crucial cog in an offense designed to outsmart and outpace defenders.
This selflessness translates seamlessly to the Rams' celebrated 11 personnel grouping. While most teams rely on it 60.9% of the time, McVay has heavily leaned into it, utilizing the grouping on over 83% of snaps.
The Rams' offense sings because it can pivot between run and pass within this grouping. Yet, the nuance is in how players like Nacua elevate the system.
When asked about his love for the run game, Nacua's response is reflective, almost poetic: "These are my brothers. To go out there and sacrifice and to get in the end zone in any way possible, I make sure I do that for those guys in the backfield."
The Rams' success is rooted in conflict—motion that muddles defensive keys, route concepts layered to exploit the slightest hesitation. Nacua's role in both the run and pass game exemplifies this.
He's not just a decoy or a body in motion; he's the keystone of many plays. His boomerang motion can set up a pass to the flats, a classic McVay conflict play. Is it a run? A triple-option? A flood concept? To defenders, it can be all of the above—and that's why it has worked.
For Nacua, this is as much about personal pride as team success. He relishes the grind, the unglamorous work that comes with springing teammates for big plays. He loves the joy of "feeling a surge of blue jerseys" pushing towards the collective effort of a group aligned in purpose.
And yet, he balances this perspective with humor, addressing fantasy football fans who question his lack of touchdowns with a playful, "You better tune in at one o'clock on Sunday."
Nacua's game and approach remind us that football is as much about willingness as it is about ability. His selflessness and physicality bolster the Rams' motion-driven offense, which turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. It's not just a system—it's a machine, and Nacua is playing the part of an unsung engine.