Los Angeles Rams Notebook: Puka Nacua Shines Amidst Special Teams Chaos

The Los Angeles Rams fell victim to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, despite Puka Nacua's best efforts. What went wrong in Week 7's loss?

The Los Angeles Rams disappointed on Sunday, falling to the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-17. The loss brings Los Angeles to 3-4 and temporarily out of a playoff spot in the NFC.

The Pittsburgh offense entered Week 7 with one of the league’s worst offenses and didn’t do too much to change that perception. However, they did enough to overcome self-inflicted wounds.

The Rams, clearly, didn’t. From quarterback Matthew Stafford’s sub-50% completion percentage to special teams pandemonium, plenty went awry.

What can fans take away from a disappointing end to the weekend?

Nacua makes a catch during yet another impressive performance / USA TODAY Sports

1. Rams head coach Sean McVay is the running game.

Los Angeles employed two running backs on Sunday: Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson. Rookie Zach Evans was phased out of the game plan, and Myles Gaskin was inactive.

Down their best two running backs against a stout Steelers defense must have ended in disaster, right? Not exactly.

The Rams ‘backs were entirely serviceable, operating on what was essentially a drive-by-drive rotation. Freeman saw 12 carries for 66 yards, while Henderson took 18 for 61 yards and a score.

Neither broke one off for longer than 16 yards, and neither provided much flare, but it was … fine.

Perhaps it’s yet another example of the position not mattering, but Week 7 looked like a good measuring stick for McVay’s mastery of the run game.

It doesn’t matter who is toting the rock. If McVay is calling the plays and the offensive line does its job, the Rams should do enough on the ground.

2. Los Angeles receiver Puka Nacua is a legitimate star.

It seems seven weeks is enough to determine what is, or isn’t, a flash in the pan.

Nacua, a week after posting just 26 yards in a win against the Arizona Cardinals, made his return to the hearts of fantasy managers. Not only did he completely outperform the incredible Cooper Kupp, he did so in a big way.

In Week 7, he posted a stat line of 12 targets for eight catches and 154 yards. Nacua had a handful of explosive plays and additions to the highlight reel, dazzling his way to rookie records.

The Rams have two star receivers on their roster. It’s up to McVay and Stafford to make the scoreboard reflect that.

3. Los Angeles couldn’t overcome special teams woes.

Kicker Brett Maher had the type of game that makes front offices double-check free agency.

Don’t expect any rash decisions after a loss, but Maher was dreadful on Sunday. He hit just one of his three field goal attempts and missed his only extra point.

Maher, or more generously, the entire field goal unit, cost the Rams seven points in a game they lost by … seven.

Every week gives fans a new example of how slim the margins are at the sport’s highest level. Los Angeles was able to convert a two-point conversion to mitigate the loss of an extra point, but there’s no denying that those missed six points changed the nature of the contest.

Maher’s second miss would have put Los Angeles up 10 points with just over a quarter to play. The Rams’ defense against Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, was rendered one-dimensional by the game script -- I like their chances.

Sometimes, these things happen, and Los Angeles didn’t play well enough on either side of the ball to make it meaningless. They’ll have a chance to execute better next week against the Dallas Cowboys.