Eagles are going to have problems with this LA Rams rookie receiver phenom

After four games, LA Rams rookie WR Puka Nacua is the 2nd-ranked NFL wide receiver, which is going to create nightmares for the Philadelphia Eagles secondary
LA Rams Puka Nacua
LA Rams Puka Nacua / Justin Casterline/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

If you wanted us to point out just how big of a challenge faces the LA Rams in Week 5, this is probably not the right article for you. We have plenty of other articles already up of soon to be published that alert the Rams fanbase just how good the Philadelphia Eagles are, and just how well the LA Rams need to perform in order to have any chance of success this week.

So what are we about to discuss? Why not discuss just how difficult it will be for an Eagles' below-average secondary to stop the hottest and freshest face in the NFL at wide receiver this season: Rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua?

Hey, this is not an attempt to throw shade at the next LA Rams opponent. But the Rams are not exactly toothless in this very important Week 5 matchup.

Puka Nacua is a young rookie wide receiver. But each week, he competes in the NFL and adds valuable experience. And that means that he is improving, getting better, each week. What does that matter? Hey, his Week 4 performance in overtime on a short week (after playing in Monday Night Football on the road) was his best overall performance of the 2023 NFL season.

And he has a full week to practice at home to host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5. Best of all, Puka Nacua is coming off his second NFL Rookie of the Week honors. And it's safe to say that by all accounts, he is just getting started.

The truth is that Puka Nacua has not only bested the rookie class of 2023, but he is besting almost all seasoned NFL veterans as well.

But the Week 5 contest is not just about the LA Rams rookie receiver. The Philadelphia Eagles secondary will have a huge say in how the game plays out. So let's give a quick review of how the Eagles defense played so far:

  1. Week 1 - @ Patriots | WR Kedrick Bourne | 6 of 11 | 64 yards | 2 TDs TE Hunter Henry | 5 of 6 | 56 yards | 1 TD
  2. Week 2 - Vikings | WR Justin Jefferson | 11 of 13 | 159 yards | 0 TDs TE T.J. Hockenson | 7 of 8 | 66 yards 2 TDs
  3. Week 3 - @ Buccaneers | WR Mike Evans | 5 of 10 | 60 yards | 1 TD TE Cade Otton | 1 of 2 | 16 yards | 0 TDs
  4. Week 4 - Commanders | WR Terry McLaurin | 8 of 10 | 86 yards | 0 TD TE Logan Thomas | 3 of 3 | 41 yards | 0 TDs

As you can see, with the Rams rookie pushing Vikings WR Justin Jefferson for top honors in receiving yards in the NFL, the Rams could get a lot of yardage through the air. But Nacua is not the Rams only weapon. Tight end Tyler Higbee could have a huge game in Week 5, as he is starting to click as well in this Rams offense. Then you have to factor in the blazing speed of Rams WR Tutu Atwell as a threat to score from anywhere on the football field.

On top of all of this, this could be the week that LA Rams All-Pro WR Cooper Kupp returns from IR as well. How can a secondary that has been struggling so far handle four different receivers who could individually put up 100+ receiving yards and/or multiple touchdowns in this one?

Of course, the key to any LA Rams game is the durability and performance of the offensive line. But after a couple of injuries in Week 3, the Rams have shown solid depth as the offensive line roared back to respectability in Week 4.

As long as the LA Rams offensive line does their job in Week 5, the LA Rams have a chance to pull off an upset.

feed