Puka Nacua goes viral for amazing helmet catch against 49ers on ‘TNF’
Puka Nacua did his best Tyrone Prothro impression on Thursday night.
The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Nacua had an incredible moment in the first quarter of his team’s divisional contest against the rival San Francisco 49ers. On 1st-and-10 from the Rams’ 34-yard line, Nacua got a one-on-one opportunity on the right side against 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward.
Off the snap throw from Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, Nacua leapt high and [checks notes] used Ward’s helmet to secure the football for a successful catch as the two players fell to the turf.
Here is the amazing video.
PUKA HELMET CATCH
— GoldBoys.com (@GoldBoysSupport) December 13, 2024
It doesn’t get much more impressive than that. Ward was nearly able to use his helmet to jar that ball free. But with just a split second to react, Nacua managed to improvise, adapt, and overcome.
Nacua, who was an All-Pro as a rookie last year with 1,486 receiving yards and six touchdowns, has become known as one of the NFL’s most acrobatic pass-catchers. He is always throwing his body around to come down with passes that he has absolutely no business catching, and he even left Tom Brady stunned with another improbable reception he made last week.