In Week 13, the Los Angeles Rams played host to the Cleveland Browns at SoFi Stadium, with Matthew Stafford and company hoping to get back to .500 with a slim chance of making the NFL playoffs while Cleveland was looking to secure their eighth win of the season.
Fortunately for Los Angeles, Stafford and Sean McVay had things clicking on Sunday against arguably one of the best defenses in the NFL, as the Rams were able to move the football and get in the end zone.
In the first half, it was all Stafford and rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, who connected four times for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Even though Nacua would eventually leave the game due to what appeared to be a painful rib injury, he had already done enough damage on the field to make franchise history, as he became the first rookie in team history to hit the 1,000-receiving mark.
This record-breaking moment drew the admiration of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, who was in attendance for the game to watch his hometown Browns play.
Congrats Puka on breaking the team rookie record for receiving yards! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 3, 2023
Even though James definitely didn’t like the end result of the game, with the Rams ultimately getting the win over the visiting Browns, the four-time NBA champion went out of his way to acknowledge an impressive achievement by a rookie that no one saw coming this season as being a game-changing player for Los Angeles.
After reaching the 1,000-yard mark on Sunday, he’s now caught 77 passes on the year for 1,029 receiving yards and four touchdowns, with five games left to play if his rib injury doesn’t prove to be too severe.
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