Yahoo Sports NFL on Puka Nacua

ArticleRAMalytics: Why the Rams are regressing on offense
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The wrinkle that Nacua added to his game that made him an offensive player of the year candidate a year ago was his prowess in the deep area of the field. That is gone in 2026, likely because of injuries. Nacua has regressed to a high volume of short area passes.
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STACKED’s take

Negative signalRole

Nacua's deep-ball role gone; regressed to short-area passes, not star production.

Nacua's deep-field prowess that made him an offensive player of the year candidate in 2025 has disappeared in 2026, likely due to injuries. He has regressed to high volume of short-area passes (54.8% of targets within 9 yards), reverting to how he initially made his mark in the NFL. This is good production but not star-level. The loss of his deep-area role has cascading effects across the Rams' offensive ecosystem.

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