How Do Vikings Solve a Problem Like Puka Nacua?
The last time the Minnesota Vikings faced the Los Angeles Rams, wide receiver Puka Nacua’s return to the starting lineup took them off guard. Unfortunately, that was the case. This time, there is no ambiguity, which may also be an unfortunate reality.
How Do Vikings Solve a Problem Like Puka Nacua?
Puka Nacua is not a wide receiver built of Justin Jefferson’s ilk. He’s not even really the same wide receiver that Jordan Addison is. He resembles something like Wes Welker or Deebo Samuel, and that has proven to be a serious problem for the opposition — the Vikings included.
When Minnesota faced the Rams earlier this season, Nacua torched them for 106 yards on just seven receptions. He isn’t exactly a deep threat, but he can rack up significant yards after the catch and often turns short passes into chunk gains. If the Vikings are going to beat Los Angeles this time around, it will be because they can contain him.
Both Nacua and Cooper Kupp offer something interesting for Matthew Stafford. The former Lions quarterback who once chucked the ball deep to Calvin Johnson has to do so much less now. He can dump passes off just inches from the line of scrimmage and watch his production grow with his wideouts working in space.
The Rams didn’t use their starters in Week 18 against the Seattle Seahawks. Nacua’s last game was Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals. He popped off for 129 yards on ten catches. It was his fifth game this season going over the century mark, and that’s despite playing in just 11 contests. That is a reflection of how easily he can burn you on a weekly basis.
Even if Stephon Gilmore was still a shutdown cornerback, Nacua isn’t a guy that a star would traditionally follow. He can line up all over the place and beat you at multiple levels of the defense. The Vikings must make sure every single member of their secondary is locked into his whereabouts at all times, and figuring out how to stop him is a total team effort.
The Rams haven’t seen Nacua blow up in every game this year. He has been held to pedestrian totals, and while that often coincides with Kupp going off, it is a must that the tandem not both get theirs. Nacua is the youngster ready to burn the opposition, and Minnesota can’t let it happen.
Minnesota is in for a tough test on Monday Night Football. Just how tough it is will largely reflect how much damage they allow Nacua to impose.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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