When Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are on the field together, it's as if there's too much talent for only one football. For the Los Angeles Rams' pass catchers, it limits everyone's ability to see their individual greatness. When both are on the field, Nacua often gets the lion's share of targets.
Last week, in his first game since the season opener, Nacua recorded nine catches for 125 yards. Adams had nine targets for only four catches. In the two games Nacua missed, Adams had 23 total targets, recording 15 catches for 332 yards and two touchdowns.
Neither player harps on statistics, putting their need to win above all else. The thing is, their shared ambition suppresses their individual production, leading to skewed opinions on their overall
value. That's likely why neither is in the top nine of Pro Football Focus' wide receiver rankings so far this season.
Nacua rounds out the top 10 at No. 10 overall, a surprisingly low ranking for the Rams wideout.
"Nacua returned to the field Sunday and delivered a big performance in the Rams‘ win over the Philadelphia Eagles," wrote PFF's Gordon McGuinness. "He has only run 69 routes so far this season, missing a pair of games through injury, but ranks fifth among wide receivers in yards per route run (2.88)."
Adams, despite putting 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II in a blender in Week 3, was ranked at 16.
"Adams ranks ninth in the NFL in yards per route run (2.47), but Puka Nacua’s first game back in the lineup coincided with Adams’ lowest-graded game of the season," McGuinness wrote. "Targeted nine times against the Philadelphia Eagles, he dropped two passes and caught four for just 32 yards."
His 22 receptions have him tied for 11th, and his 390 yards are the fifth-most in the NFL through four weeks.
With the Rams being at home this week against the Buffalo Bills, perhaps both receivers are set to climb the rankings, as they'll be playing in a controlled environment.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' Puka Nacua and Davante Adams both surprisingly low in PFF's WR rankings
