Nacua’s fast start looks familiar

The star receiver's numbers are drawing comparisons to Kupp’s historic 2021 season.

- By Gary KLEIN

PUKA NACUA (12) leads the league in catches (42) and receiving yards (503).

(ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times)

Two seasons before Puka Nacua joined the Rams, Cooper Kupp made NFL history.

Tn 2021, Kupp won the so-called triple crown of receiving, was named NFL offensive player of the year and won the Super Bowl LVI most-valuable-player award.

Not that Nacua, a junior at Brigham Young at the time, monitored Kupp’s statistics.

“Sadly, I don’t recall too much,” he said. “I never was a fantasy player so I never caught the buzz either.”

Four games into this season, the NFL is abuzz about Nacua.

Nearly three quarters of this season are still to be played, but if the Rams keep winning and Nacua keeps producing, the third-year pro could be ona track similarto Kupp’shistoric season.

Nacua has 42 catches for 503 yards — both league highs — and one touchdown catch for a Rams team that is living up to billing as a Super Bowl contender.

Through four games of the 2021 season, Kupp had 30 catches for 431 yards and five touchdowns. He finished with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns.