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The Los Angeles Rams season came to an end Sunday night at the hands of the Detroit Lions 24-23 in a wild-card matchup.
The Rams had a magical ending to their season, winning seven of their final eight games to will their way into the playoffs, but they ultimately didn’t have enough to get past the Lions.
Despite the loss, the Rams gave fans plenty to look forward to next season — mostly the connection between quarterback Matthew Stafford and rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua.
In his return to Detroit, Stafford had 367 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Most of his completions went to Nacua, who recorded the most passing yards by a rookie in his first playoff game with 181 yards. He also had a touchdown.
The big performance from the Rams’ duo drew plenty of praise from NFL fans despite the loss.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Matthew Stafford no-look sidearm 😮💨
PFF @PFF
STAFFORD TO PUKA CAN’T BE STOPPED
pic.twitter.com/WOArqiIGNX
trey wingo @wingoz
Stafford’s arm arrogance is a thing of beauty pic.twitter.com/gN9gtltQek
Darius Butler @DariusJButler
Stafford to Puka 🚀🚀🚀
JJ Watt @JJWatt
CJ Stroud is going to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and it is 100% deserved and the correct choice.
It is also extremely unfortunate that Puka Nacua is not going to get award recognition he deserves for a truly incredible rookie season.
Phenomenal ball from young bucks.
Steve Wyche @wyche89
Been watching Puka all season so what he is doing is no surprise but damn, he is fun to watch. He is so tough.
John Keim @john_keim
Puka is a classic case of going by the film. Dude has great feet; terrific routes. Only a 4.57 40. Has it mattered? But also tough as hell and competitive. Those traits have shown up big time.
Tony Holzman-Escareno @FrontOfficeNFL
Puka Nacua has the most receiving yards by a rookie in his first playoff game in NFL history. #RamsHouse @NFLResearch https://t.co/HeLTGd9veO
The Rams didn’t get the result they wanted on Sunday, but it’s clear they have found a special duo in the veteran Stafford and the rising star Nacua. Now, Los Angeles will head into the offseason to begin preparations for what should be an exciting 2024 season.
