By: Justin Gincauskas

Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua capped off one of the best rookie seasons by a wide receiver, as the 22-year-old set the NFL rookie record for receiving yards and catches in Los Angeles’ 21-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers Sunday.

Nacua came into the regular season finale needing 29 yards to break Bill Groman’s rookie record of 1,473 yards set in 1960. The Rams’ 2023 fifth-round pick surpassed Groman’s record in the third quarter of Sunday’s game after catching a pass from Carson Wentz.

On the very next play, Nacua set another rookie record. With his 105th catch of the season, Nacua passed Jaylen Waddle’s 104 receptions in 2021 for the most catches by a rookie in NFL history. He finished the game with four receptions for 41 yards and one touchdown.

Sean McVay And Puka Nacua Discuss The Records

“Really happy for Puka Nacua,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said after the game. “For him to be able to break both of those records, is such a credit to this team but also his consistency and his body of work over a 17-game season. I’m really happy for him.”

Nacua shied away from taking all the credit for his record-breaking achievement, saying it took a team effort to accomplish the feat.

“It’ll say Puka Nacua, but I wish it could say everybody,” Nacua said. “All 11 guys out there because it really takes all 11. They should all feel that award just as much as I do because I couldn’t do it without the guys in the front and obviously Matthew [Stafford] and Carson [Wentz] out there.”

Nacua finishes his first regular season in the league with 105 catches for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns. Now, Nacua and the Rams must quickly move past talking about the accomplishment as they prepare for the playoffs. The Rams are taking on the Detroit Lions on Sunday in the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend.

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