LA Rams have used motion and bunches to Unleash the Kraken: Rookie WR Puka Nacua

Let's talk about LA Rams rookie WR Puka Nacua. Why, you ask? He is the All-Time NFL Rookie Receiving Record Holder for receptions and receiving yards. All-Time record holder may not sink in at first reading, but let me assure you, that means that he is the best of the best, of the best.

And to add even more unbelievability to his achievements, he was the 177th player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. That means that he is a young man who had to wait to hear his name being called until mid-way on Day 3, a time when rookie prospects are frantically praying to hear their names being called out by any NFL team, let alone starting on an NFL team roster.

So saying that Rams rookie Puka Nacua is a bit of an NFL anomaly, like a unicorn, is really an understatement.

Nacua was destined for an NFL spotlight

Puka Nacua didn't break the rookie records for receptions and receiving yards by accident. It took an emphasis on motion and bunch sets for the LA Rams to unleash the wide receiver on unsuspecting NFL defenses.

Keeping Nacua on the move is making defenses obvious pre-snap. Regular motion is also helping the first-year pass-catcher exploit holes in zone coverage shells flooded by bunches of receivers.

It's a far cry from the vertical shots off of play action that used to define this pass attack. Rams' head coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur have also used the motion plan to add layers to a transformed running game.

Nacua has been the key to the schematic reshuffle. His ability to win on in-breaking routes and amass yards after the catch have redefined how the Rams attack defenses through the air.

Those are key skills, but Nacua's most important attribute is his mobility. Specifically, being on the move before the ball is snapped.

How did LA Rams unleash Nacua in his rookie season?

1. Motion is the key to Puka Nacua's success
2. Bunch sets are helping Rams shred coverage
3. Motion creating running lanes for Rams

Motion is the key to Puka Nacua's success

As Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr detailed, "the Rams utilize presnap motion more than any team in the NFL, save for the Miami Dolphins." The tendency showed up "on 21 of 66 snaps" against the New Orleans Saints in Week 16, when Nacua "gained 107 scrimmage yards" on motion plays, according to Next Gen Stats.

No. 17 helped himself to nine catches for 164 yards and a touchdown against the Saints. It was one of seven 100-yard games during a 1,486-yard campaign.

Keeping Nacua on the move not only forces defenses to show their cards. Trail Nacua and it's sure to be man coverage. Stand pat and it's likely zone. Setting up coverage to double Nacua is also harder when he moved around so often.

There are other advantages, like hiding Nacua behind other receivers.

Nacua adds more to the Rams offense than one more set of hands

Perhaps one of the less appreciated attributes brought to the LA Rams offense is the sheer range of qualities that Puka Nacua brings to the LA Rams offense. One trait that has truly endeared him to the Rams offense, and to HC Sean McVay especially is his willingness to block for his teammates, even if his blocking assignment is bigger and more powerful than he is:

The willingness for Nacua to place a helmet on another helmet has infused a great deal of upside into the Rams base 11-personnel offensive package. With Nacua blocking nearly as effectively as a tight end, the Rams can add and opt for more plays that simply cannot be considered without solid edge blocking.

But it also opens up the Rams offense to use bunch formations, or placing two or three receivers in close proximity to one another, which allows the Rams to confuse defensive backs and leverage mismatches:

Bunch sets are helping Rams shred coverage

Speaking on the "Ross Tucker Football" podcast, NFL Films producer Greg Cosell zeroed in on how the Rams offense has used bunch formations to leverage those mismatches against NFL secondaries:

"They very often motion across the formation from 2 by 2 to 3 by 1. And then when they get in 3 by 1 sets, Ross, they are in bunch a lot and they get a feel for how defenses are going to play bunch. There are multiple ways to play bunch formations, and they get a feel for how defenses play it and they do such a good job attacking that."

Greg Cosell

One of the best examples of how the Rams dissect coverage with a bunch set came against the Saints. It involved freeing Nacua against Tampa 2 coverage, which is essentially a three-deep zone with both safeties and a middle linebacker as the last line of defense.

The play was highlighted and broken down by NFL Network's Brian Baldinger, beginning at the 0:16 mark.

Notice how Nacua motioned to where fellow wideouts Cooper Kupp and Tutu Atwell were stacked. An outside release by Nacua gave Rams' quarterback Matthew Stafford three targets.

Multiple receivers challenged the deep and intermediate layers of the Saints' coverage structure. They lost the challenge when Nacua was left wide open between the numbers.

Bunch plays like these put defenses in a bind. Play zone and at least one receiver will enter the void in the shell. Line up in man and have a nightmare trying to track multiple pass-catchers in traffic across the middle of the field.

The Rams' playoff opponents need a plan for all the motion and bunches, starting with a Detroit Lions defense led by coordinator Aaron Glenn. He's part of the Bill Parcells' coaching tree, so the Rams should expect to see plenty of two-deep coverage.

Fortunately, motion can also overwhelm this structure on the ground.

Motion creating running lanes for Rams

Sending Nacua in motion can empty the box against the run. It worked brilliantly against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6, per Nate Tice of The Athletic.

As the first play shows, Cards' linebacker Kyzir White (7) began to shift in the direction Nacua ran behind the line of scrimmage. It left room for Rams' running back Kyren Williams to attack the void on a trademark cutback run.

The second play Tice highlighted shows how motion allows Nacua to get a running start before exploding through a gap as an effective lead blocker. He put all 205 pounds into knocking safety K'Von Wallace (22) out of Williams' path.

Whether it's reducing run fronts or adding an extra blocker, motion is helping the Rams win the numbers game to run the ball.

Two simple concepts have expanded the Rams' offense in so many ways. It's the main reason the team has performed above expectations and returned to the postseason.

The LA Rams played Puka Nacua in Week 18 just long enough to break NFL records. But don't think for a minute that the San Francisco 49ers were okay with letting a Rams player set a record against their defense. They were more than happy to double up Nacua in a game that meant nothing to their postseason chances.

The NFL receiving record was not earned by longevity in 2023. Puka Nacua had to work for each reception and for each receiving yard. That was particularly true all the way through the 2023 NFL season.

And yet, he did break the record all the same.