Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was ejected Sunday for throwing a punch at Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson in Los Angeles’ 26-20 overtime win in Seattle.
The blow happened when the Seahawks had a 6-3 lead late in the second quarter. Matthew Stafford targeted Nacua with a downfield pass on first-and-10 from the Los Angeles 44-yard line. Cornerback Tariq Woolen intercepted the ball at Seattle’s 25-yard line and came down through contact. Woolen tried to return the ball, apparently not realizing he was down.
Dodson engaged with Nacua to block him as Woolen ran with the ball. Nacua, apparently realizing the game was over and frustrated by the turnover, struck Dodson in the side of Dodson’s helmet with his right fist.
Officials saw the blow and flagged Nakua for unnecessary roughness. They ejected him from the match, but Nakua did not immediately leave the field. He sat on the bench for several moments before finally running to the locker room with 17 seconds left in the half to loud cheers from the Seattle crowd.
“There were some things said earlier in the game and I let my emotions get the best of me and reacted instead of reacting at that moment,” Nacua said after the game, via ESPN. “I knew the game was over after the interception, and he just had his hands on me trying to get blocked. So I just made sure I could defend myself and get ready to see what happens next time would happen.” play.”
The turnover and penalty left Seattle with the ball at its own 40-yard line with 27 seconds left in the half. The Seahawks responded with a three-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to extend their lead to 13-3 before halftime.
For Nakua, the incident adds to a rough season for the second-year wide receiver who broke out with a Pro Bowl campaign as a rookie. Nakua suffered a PCL injury in the Rams’ season opener and missed the next five games.
He returned in Week 8 and had seven catches for 106 yards in a 30–20 win over the Minnesota Vikings, showing the upside he showed as a rookie that made him a top target in fantasy football. But he left Sunday’s game with just one catch for 11 yards.
“Obviously he doesn’t want to do that,” Stafford said of Nacua. “He doesn’t want to be able to be out there and play with us and all that stuff. It’s a bit of a frustrating start to the game, and the guy made a great play with that ball.”
“And sometimes emotion gets the better of him, but I have complete confidence in his ability to respond and understand that these are the things we can’t do. And as hard as it is sometimes to walk away from those things, you have to do it and I have no problem with how he will proceed.”
