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More prepared for Rams' game-changer
Flores was candid Tuesday that the return of Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua for the Oct. 24 game between the teams caught him and his defense off-guard.
Nacua missed five games with a sprained PCL suffered in Week 1. He’d just made his practice return from injured reserve two days before catching seven passes for 106 yards in the Rams’ 30-20 win against the Vikings.
“Quite honestly, we were a little bit surprised that he was out there,” Flores said. “We found out, let’s call it, four hours before a game. ...
There was a little bit of scrambling.”
Flores said there’s little a team can do in that situation. They were somewhat familiar with Nacua from his 2023 tape but had virtually nothing on him from the current season.
This time, his defense will be better prepared. Nacua has appeared in every game since for the Rams — save last weekend, when they rested their starters against the Seahawks — and has 79 receptions for 990 yards and three touchdowns.
“They’re a very different team with Puka out there. Very different,” Flores said. “He brings an element in both the run and the pass game.
That’s why he’s the player that he is. He opens things up for other players. Cooper Kupp is No. 1, certainly, but it’s really two No. 1s you’re dealing with.”
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