How Puka Nakoa matured, and why her relationship with Matthew Stafford became like an Adele song

While Puka Nacua might not know what week it is in the NFL season, the star wide receiver has matured in a great way for the Los Angeles Rams.

When Nacua sat down with Erin Andrews for an interview on “FOX NFL Sunday,” he said he thought the team’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens was a Week 5 game, not a Week 6 tilt. But that might be the only mistake Nacua has made this season as he leads the NFL in receptions and receiving yards entering Sunday’s slate.

Now in Year 3, Nacua credited his continued rise as one of the league’s top wide receivers to his quarterback, Matthew Stafford, and how he feels more comfortable around him. 

“It comes back to the people who’ve been around me,” Nacua told Andrews. “The environment has allowed me to continue to be myself. I’m still that same kid who’s trying to ask Matthew [questions]. I just don’t call him “sir” anymore. Now, we have a relationship. I tell him random things. I tell him: I play Call of Duty.

When Nacua was a rookie and called Stafford “sir,” he was still wildly productive. In fact, Nacua set the record for rookie receiving yards (1,486) in 2023. But as Nacua clearly became Stafford’s favorite target, the receiver explained their relationship in a way you might see in a video game or in a cartoon.

“It’s like there’s a trace of light or energy,” Nakoa said. “Sometimes, it feels better when you’re covered because then it’s like, ‘I’ve got to put it in one spot.’ Then, when you’re open, it’s like, ‘How do I want to put it to you?’ I think the light comes together and the ball is exactly where it needs to be.

“Honestly, it’s like an Adele song,” Nakoa added.

The connection with Stafford not only helped Nacua lead the league in the first five weeks of the season, but also helped him set records. His 52 receptions were the most in league history through the first five weeks of the season. With 558 receiving yards entering Sunday’s game, Nacua is on pace to become the first receiver in NFL history to have at least 150 receptions and 2,000 receiving yards in a season.

However, with the fifth-round pick continuing to exceed expectations, Nacua seems surprised by what he has done so far in his career.

“I see the numbers I finished in my first year and I feel like they don’t look real,” he said.

But what Nakoa feels is that he is empowered thanks to coach Sean McVay.

“I think I’m really lucky,” Nacua said. “I think about the environment that I came in, and the people that have been a part of this journey — from my dad being my first Little League soccer coach to Coach McVay, who feels like a great friend, and the conversations that happened when I would walk by his office. He would say, ‘Hey Boca, how are you? What’s going on?’ And just communicating with my family because he knows those things mean a lot to me.”

This empowerment and maturity has also helped Nakoa feel more comfortable in Los Angeles. He told Andrews that he enjoys living in Los Angeles, attending Lakers and Dodgers games while making trips to Irewin.

But where Nacua truly feels at home is on the football field, especially when he gets bumped and bruised with the occasional carry (three carries so far this season) and makes blocks down the field. Since Nakoa’s teammates are impressed by his physical nature, he said he simply feels comfortable playing this way.

“I think that’s my safe place,” Nacua said of his physical style. “It feels like home. It reminds me of being with my brothers in the backyard. The chin strap wasn’t fastened. The shoulder pads were too big. We were tired of handling the doll. The doll doesn’t move anymore,” my father said. Boca, run with the ball.”

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