Puka Nacua is still a constant the Rams can count on

Kickers missing kicks, opposing backs running wild, a throw sailed over the head of an open receiver. The Los Angeles Rams have had their share of hair-pulling problems in just about every game this season. Wide receiver Puka Nacua has been one of the few constants they can count on. 

When the Rams' first-half offense couldn't get much going against the Buffalo Bills, there was Nacua catching everything thrown his way. Short gains, move the chains, keep the operation from falling all the way off the wagon. 

For some reason the Bills thought leaving him a cushion of space was a good idea. LA came alive in half No. 2 while Nacua finished with a career-high 17 catches (on 24 targets!) for 138 yards. Ho-hum. What else would you expect?

Rams can depend on Puka Nacua, if not on much else

Nacua missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a hip injury. In Week 1 against the 49ers, he was one of the Rams' very functional members. Even as the offense as a whole remains rocky, Nacua's return has been expectedly transformational. Like oil on a herky-jerky door hinge. 

Sure, the Rams put up yards in his absence, thanks in large part to the playmaking of Davante Adams and running back Kyren Williams, another rock the team has leaned on. 

But Nacua's return raises both the floor and the ceiling of Sean McVay's offensive unit, bailing the Rams out on third down, bowling over linebackers to reach the sticks or break off a big gain. 

In three games played, Nacua has picked up right where he left off a year ago, despite battling through discomfort: 31 catches for 337 yards and a touchdown, plus another rushing. 

Even Adams, who had the best two-game stretch of his career against the Giants and Broncos, has been somewhat hit or miss. He has had three games of either 135+ plus receiving yards and/or two touchdowns, and two others for a combined 58 yards. 

After a seeming breakout in Denver, second-year wideout Konata Mumpfield has faded back into the shadows. No one else in the receiver room has stepped up. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was on point in Week 5, but he's already thrown six interceptions. Left tackle Alaric Jackson faces a two-game suspension.

It's a familiar passing-game formula: Nacua for the heavy lifting, Adams in the red zone, tight ends and Kyren Williams for the rest. If the Rams had an NFL-caliber special teams unit, it just might be enough. 

As it is, each week has felt like a roller-coaster ride, up and down through the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. As long as he's healthy, Nacua, at least, is one thing Rams fans don't have to worry about.

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