CHARLOTEE, N.C. — An uncharacteristic drop by Puka Nacua sure looked like it cost the Rams six points on Saturday night.
As Los Angeles was trying to get into scoring position with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half of its wild-card matchup with the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., quarterback Matthew Stafford fired a deep shot to Nacua that appeared to be an easy touchdown.
The completion would’ve almost certainly given L.A. the shot at a 10-point lead heading into the break, but the ball somehow clanked through the star wide receiver’s hands, and the Rams were forced to punt.
After the play, Nacua — who beat Panthers Pro Bowl corner Jaycee Horn on the third-down effort — hit the bench in disbelief. He was later seen being consoled by Rams head coach Sean McVay.
Nacua had been having a whale of a half prior to the costly incompletion — hauling in six passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. He added a rushing touchdown as well.
Stafford had only found three others outside of Nacua in the game’s first 30 minutes.
Nacua was named first-team All-Pro just before kickoff, after he logged 129 catches for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season.
The Rams headed into the locker room at halftime up 17-14.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
