Los Angeles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua’s Week 16 was a mess. On the field, he was absolutely dominant: 12 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks. But off the field, he called out the refs for their officiating, landed a hefty fine, and put his team under the league’s microscope heading into a playoff push. And franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford is taking matters into his own hands.

“He’s got this unbelievable platform to go be this great leader for not only our team, but for kids out there and people all over the United States that love this game and love him as a fan,” Stafford said on the Let’s Go! podcast, in conversation with Jim Gray. “So do a good job as we can moving forward at making sure that when we do say things, it’s for a positive impact for our team, the players, the fans, everybody that’s involved. That’s the step I think we need to take.”

This admission came when Gray noted that Nacua’s off-field actions are affecting the team as a whole. “He’s taken himself from a very popular guy to unpopular all in one week, with the officials now looking at him and therefore looking at the Rams.” That’s the problem now. Nacua has painted a target on his back. 

On paper, Nacua is having a historic season. He leads the league with 114 catches and holds the second spot in receiving yards (1,592). He’s the go-to target for Matthew Stafford, hauling in some of the most clinical catches from the quarterback this season. But following Week 16’s 38-37 loss, Nacua lost his cool.

The frustration started with a controversial fourth-quarter two-point conversion by the Seahawks. Officials initially ruled it incomplete. But the replay officials said otherwise: backward pass, a fumble recovery by Seattle’s Zach Charbonnet in the end zone for two points. If it hadn’t been for this swing, Los Angeles would have had a chance to maintain a two-point lead and win the game.

Instead, that loss dropped LA from playoff contention’s upper tier to the NFC’s sixth seed. A one-point loss that stemmed from one official’s call to cause one massive headache. Even Stafford noted he wasn’t aware of such a rule.

But Stafford wasn’t just worried about that game. He’s thinking bigger. Nacua’s popularity makes him a magnet for narratives and fan perception. Any blip on that could snowball into a world of trouble for the 24-year-old receiver. His clear advice: grow up, and do it fast.

And speaking of trouble, Nacua’s outburst had landed him in exactly that after his Week 16 outburst caught the eye of the league.

Puka Nacua’s wake-up call

Puka Nacua’s trouble started long before Thursday Night’s game. Days earlier, he appeared on a livestream with internet personalities Adin Ross and Mikyle Rafique. His take? The “refs are the worst.” He suggested officials make questionable calls for TV exposure. 

“They want to be on TV too,” Nacua had said. “You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys just saw me on Sunday Night Football. That wasn’t P.I., but I called it.’”

Not a good picture for the Rams’ star receiver, who was already under scrutiny for a controversial celebration. And then came the loss to Seattle. Nacua fired off a tweet after the game. “Can you say I was wrong?” he wrote in a since-deleted post. “Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol.”

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But even if he deleted it, it was too late. The NFL dropped a $25,000 fine on Friday, December 19. Nacua later called it “a moment of frustration after a tough, intense game.” Fair enough. Emotions run high after heartbreaks, especially if it’s a one-point OT loss.

But the damage was done. The league noticed, the refs noticed. And now, Puka Nacua’s every route, every contested catch, and every brush with a defender carries extra scrutiny. The Rams sit at 9-6 with two games left before a potentially deep playoff run. The Atlanta Falcons wait for them in Week 17. And then a divisional game with the Arizona Cardinals looms that could reshape the playoff picture entirely.

The Rams need Nacua’s production, not his controversy. And Matthew Stafford has offered veteran wisdom for his receiver, who’s still learning that the game extends beyond the white lines. Week 17 will tell us if the message has landed.