Through the Quarterback's Eyes: Matthew Stafford

Breaking Down Stafford's Connection with Puka Nacua vs. the Lions

There are big moments throughout every game that don’t always get noticed for how important they are. However, they can be absolutely instrumental to the final outcome.

On Sunday against the Lions, Puka Nacua hauled in 9 catches for 181 yards on the way to a 41-34 Rams win. But there were some key receptions early in the game, both before they had any points on the board and before the end of the half, that set the trajectory of the offense for the rest of the afternoon.

The first key play came on the Rams’ second drive while trailing 7-0. L.A.’s first possession had ended in an interception, and this drive had stalled around midfield.

The Lions were poised to swing the momentum in their favor. The Rams faced a 4th-and-4 from Detroit’s 45-yard line, and Sean McVay decided to go for it.

L.A. came out in empty formation with tight end Terrance Ferguson aligned on the perimeter. Linebacker Alex Anzalone lined up over him, an indicator of man coverage. Then he followed Ferguson inside when he motioned towards the formation:

According to Matthew Stafford:

“They were trying to show me man coverage.”

At the snap, however, the Lions would reveal their hand.

“Then [they] popped out into […] Tampa-2.”

Not only did the Lions pop out into Tampa-2, they would only rush 3. Which meant they’d drop an extra defender out underneath (a “Pee Dropper”):

Nacua recognized the coverage, and instead of hauling ass out of his break, he saw the defender in front of him and settled just enough to catch the ball and get upfield:

As Stafford said:

“Puka did a nice job settling in the hole there, and I just tried to put it on him and he did a great job falling forward.”

Stafford wedged the ball into his physical and reliable receiver in a tight space, and Nacua did the rest:

Later on the same drive, the Rams ran into another 4th down. This time it was 4th-and-8. L.A. once again went with an empty formation, with Nacua aligned in the slot to the right: