For Puka Nacua, the war of words with NFL officials is far from over; it just entered a new, more direct phase. The Los Angeles Rams’ wide receiver popped up on a Kick stream with Adin Ross and took some shots at the NFL referees a couple of days ago, calling them “the worst.” He was at it again after the LA lost the top spot in the NFL West after a controversial loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

“Can you say I was wrong. Appreciate you stripes for your contribution. Lol,” he tweeted after the loss.

However, the post was immediately deleted. Without any doubt, saying what he said about the referees while being an active NFL player on a rookie contract takes some guts. But Nacua didn’t shy away from it.

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“The refs are the worst. These guys are lawyers, they wanna be on TV too, bro,” Puka Nacua told Adin Ross during a Kick live stream on Tuesday. “You don’t think he is texting his friends in their group chat like, ‘Yo, you guys saw me do that on Sunday Night Football? That wasn’t PI, but I called it.”

That’s quite an allegation. But it didn’t come from nowhere. His allegation was seemingly proven correct during the game.

Early in Thursday night’s game against Seattle, the Rams appeared to have scored on a one-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to tight end Terrance Ferguson. The play was wiped out after officials flagged guard Justin Dedich for being an ineligible man downfield.

Even Prime Video rules analyst Terry McAulay didn’t agree with the call.

“This really isn’t a foul,” McAulay said. “He blocks a defensive line-on-line and he can drive him as far as he wants. He comes off contact and the defender actually pushes him by and actually forces him beyond that yard. So, it really isn’t a foul for him being illegally downfield because of that action.”

Games like this carry weight. You don’t want officiating to become part of the story, but sometimes it does. That’s what Nacua was reacting to, and it’s not the first time this season the Rams have felt this way.

Puka Nacua’s frustration doesn’t stem from nowhere

It wasn’t just the Seattle game that stuck with Puka Nacua. The frustration had been building for a while.

Go back to Week 3, when the Rams still had a chance late against the Philadelphia Eagles. With 46 seconds left, Matthew Stafford threw one up deep for Nacua. An Eagles’ defensive back reached and grabbed Nacua by the pants and held on just long enough to stop the catch. No flag was given.

That wasn’t the end of it. In Week 4 against the 49ers, there were more moments where calls, or non-calls, went against the Rams, and they mattered. So yes, Nacua probably understands he’s walking toward a fine, which is likely why the tweet came down so quickly. But taking it down doesn’t mean the frustration disappears. It’s still there.

And what he said wasn’t about the Rams being singled out. That wasn’t the point. He was talking about the league as a whole. Look around the last few weeks, especially in prime time. Too many conversations start and end with officiating instead of the football.

That’s the part that’s tough to swallow. This season has been full of wild swings, unexpected results, and genuinely good games. When the biggest takeaway ends up being the referees, something feels off. If the league comes down on Nacua, it wouldn’t be surprising. But it also wouldn’t be surprising if he doesn’t regret it.