NFC Notes: Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Geno Smith, Rams, Seahawks

Rams

Rams WR Cooper Kupp said the team had to pull WR Puka Nacua back from blocking linebackers and said that his instincts and willingness to get dirty in the run game made him know that he was ready from day one.

“We had an issue with him because he kept blocking linebackers when you’re not supposed to be blocking linebackers,” Kupp said, via ESPN. “You’d rather pull someone back and say, ‘Hey, look, someone’s already going to the linebacker. You can block the safety or block the corner.’ Puka definitely had the willingness to go in and do what you need to do. That’s what you need at the beginning. If you’re willing to do it, then coaches can teach you how to do the rest.”

Nacua wears his physicality as a badge of honor and says that he doesn’t plan on changing the way that he plays.

“You’re like, ‘maybe he was taking his opportunity’ but I feel like it’s also a reminder for me that it’s my goal to come out there and bring it with the physicality every single play,” Nacua said. “It’s also a nice, subtle reminder to myself that every play is somebody’s opportunity to either make a hit or take a hit. I want to be the one making it for sure.”

Seahawks

Seattle won a close divisional game over the 49ers in Week 11 to keep them near the top of the NFC West race. Seahawks QB Geno Smith spoke on how important the win was to them out of the bye week against a divisional rival.

“We won the game. We know how much was at stake, we’re trying to turn our season around,” Smith said, via John Boyle of the team’s website. “We had a bye week, and we’ve got eight games ahead of us to put ourselves in the position that we want to be in. This is just a step in the right direction for us, so I was very ecstatic and happy for that.”

Seattle HC Mike Macdonald had nothing but good things to say about Smith’s performance after he led them to a win.

“He was dynamite,” Macdonald added. “We talked about, after the pick, just sticking with it, we talk about clearing the next room, just go clear the next room and rock and roll. After he threw the pick, we got the stop on defense, forced a field goal, and we went right back down and scored the touchdown.”

Seahawks

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba went for 11 catches and 110 yards for his third 100-yard game of the season in Week 11. Seattle HC Mike Macdonald loves how Smith-Njigba makes plays within the structure of the offense and helps get them back on schedule. 

“Big-time,” Macdonald said, via John Boyle of the team’s website. “It’s great because they’re happening within the flow of the progressions, and I think Geno feels like, late in the down, that Jax is going to find a way to get open, so they’re building a cool chemistry that we can keep the ball moving and converting on some of those big-time medium-range conversions.”