NASHVILLE, Tenn. — First, it was Puka Nacua, securing a sloppy handoff and jetting 45 yards for a touchdown to open the Rams’ game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Then, it was Davante Adams, using a hesitation move to get free. As soon as the ball left quarterback Matthew Stafford’s hand, it was obvious. Adams loped into his first touchdown as a Ram, and after a quick three-and-out by the Titans offense, fans at Nissan Stadium began to file out.
They weren’t the finishing touches on the Rams’ 33-19 win — their widest margin of victory since Week 13 in 2023 — but it was a harbinger for the havoc the Rams’ receiving duo can wreak on the rest of the NFL.
Adams, the free-agent acquisition whom head coach Sean McVay pestered during his Japanese vacation to come to Los Angeles, finished with six catches on 13 targets for 106 yards. Nacua caught eight of his nine targets for 91 yards, plus that 45-yard carry.
All told, the duo finished with 242 of the Rams’ 439 yards of offense and 14 of Stafford’s 23 completions.
Despite the two-touchdown difference in final score, the Rams (2-0) actually trailed at halftime after a series of mistakes to end the second quarter.
Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward began to show off his ability to move around in the pocket, extending plays with his legs to allow receivers time to get open. At the Rams 9, he was able to keep a play going for over eight seconds, rolling to the right sideline before throwing across the field to fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor for a diving touchdown.
Stafford was picked off on the very next play, losing track of a corner lurking beneath Tutu Atwell. A defensive pass interference call on Cobie Durant and a couple of Tony Pollard runs and the Titans (0-2) added a field goal to take a 13-10 lead into the half.
The miscues continued in the third quarter. Adams took the Rams into the red zone with a diving, fingertip catch and a third-down conversion for 26 yards. But a miscommunication between center Coleman Shelton and right guard Kevin Dotson on third-and-goal led to pressure in Stafford’s face. The quarterback’s throw to Adams was off-target, and the Rams kicked a field goal.
Nacua led the Rams down the field for their next score with catches of 24 and 22 yards to move the Rams from their own 31 to the Tennessee 23. Two plays later, tight end Davis Allen dove for the pylon and, after review, was ruled to have scored a go-ahead touchdown.
With momentum back on the Rams side, outside linebacker Byron Young stripped the ball from Ward’s hands in the pocket and linebacker Nate Landman recovered at the Tennessee 21. Three plays later, and Stafford found Adams in the end zone, and the rout was on.
