Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE — Nestled among the holiday cider, egg nog and mistletoe lie the Christmas stories that keep us coming back for more every year.
Are you ready for a heartwarming tale of Christmas gift giving? This one came from the Los Angeles Rams' social media team.
Puka Nacua may have had plenty of highlight-reel catches, dazzling touchdowns and jaw-dropping moments during his potentially record-setting rookie season in the NFL. But what the former BYU wide receiver didn't have — until recently — was the game ball from his first-ever touchdown in the league.
On Oct. 1, in his professional game with more than 100 yards receiving, Nacua caught a 22-yard pass from Matthew Stafford that gave the Rams a 29-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts in overtime.
It was a historic moment in his career, but Nacua — whose competitive nature has known few limits since his days as an athletic wide out at Orem High — was more concerned with the win.
So when the former Golden Tiger crossed the goal line, he celebrated by firing the football into the upper deck at Lucas Oil Stadium. History would be lost on this occasion, or so it would seem.
With the sleuthing of a team of FBI agents, the Rams' social media team tracked down the ball. After encasing it in several boxes and packing and marking the occasion with a card that read, "please do not throw into the stands," Nacua had his moment.
admin really became detectives to find this gift for @AsapPuka. 🕵️♂️ pic.twitter.com/B6wLJLszX2
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 24, 2023
"That is sweet," Nacua responded. "Thank you, admin. It was worth all of the boxes."
Last week, Nacua became just the third rookie receiver in NFL history with six 100-yard receiving games. If he tops the century mark in Week 17 against the New York Giants or Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers, the former BYU wide out will join Odell Beckham Jr. and Justin Jefferson as the only rookie wide outs with seven 100-yard receiving games in the NFL's Super Bowl era (or since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970).
With 1,327 yards, Nacua is already the Rams' rookie record for receiving and holds the single-season record for receiving yards by a BYU alum.
But with just 147 yards in the final two games, he'll break the all-time record for receiving yards by a rookie set by Bill Groman of the Houston Oilers back in 1960 (or 128 yards away from the Super Bowl era record of 1,455 yards set by Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase in 2021).
If Nacua wins the record, a word of advice: keep the ball.
