Puka Nacua Says He Found out Rams Are in NFC West, Sean McVay Says WR Was Joking

The Los Angeles Rams are fighting for an NFC West title even though one of their star players may have just found out about the whole division thing.

"No, if I'm being honest with you guys, somebody told me we're in the NFC West, so that's good to know, I guess," Puka Nacua told reporters Thursday. "Yeah, one day at a time is my mentality. I feel like I say that to you guys a lot, but then it's whatever game we have coming up on Sunday or whatever the day that week it falls on."

There is something to be said about the wide receiver being so locked in he isn't even aware of his own team's division, but head coach Sean McVay told reporters that Nacua was joking.

"No, he didn't. He was messing with you," McVay said. "You'd have to give me the context, I think so. Isn't that beautiful? See, that's why… be like Puka. Just focus on what you can control and… hey, if that's the case, I love him unconditionally. You know what though? There is a beauty in that in all seriousness.

"Let's just say that's the case. I know this, that guy is going to show up when we play the [San Francisco 49ers] 'Niners', the [Arizona] Cardinals, and the [Seattle] Seahawks, and shoot, if he thinks that we're in the same division as the Eagles, then let's show up against them too."

Whether Nacua is joking or not, it is an amusing back-and-forth involving the star receiver and coach.

To be fair, there are some confusing geography situations in sports, including the NFL. For instance, the Dallas Cowboys being in the NFC East doesn't exactly line up with the United States' geography, especially when they are playing teams from Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and New York City.

And then there is college football, where California and Stanford are in the, wait for it, Atlantic Coast Conference following the latest round of conference realignment.

But the Rams being in the NFC West isn't geographically confusing or new.

They were in the NFL Coastal Division in 1969 and then the NFC West starting in 1970. Sure, there was the whole move to St. Louis thing, but there was no doubt which division the Rams would be in again when they returned to Los Angeles starting with the 2016 season.

Alas, the real focus for Nacua and the Rams is the fight for that division crown in 2024.

They are just one game behind the Arizona Cardinals following a 4-1 stretch in the last five games and still face the division leaders at home in Week 17. The Nacua and Cooper Kupp combination is nearly impossible to stop, and Matthew Stafford has found plenty of success throwing them the ball now that they are both healthy and back on the field.

As long as Nacua is making plays on the field, Rams fans surely won't care what division he thinks he is playing in down the stretch run.