McVay: 'Really special' Nacua deserves OROY award

The race for Offensive Rookie of the Year appeared to be over after C.J. Stroud's incredible start to the season, but Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua continued to make it tough on voters with another big performance in Thursday's win over the New Orleans Saints.

After Nacua went off for nine catches for 164 yards and a touchdown, Rams head coach Sean McVay said the wideout "would get my vote" while also praising Stroud for a "great year."

"He's really special," McVay said, according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop. "But the best part about him is, he doesn't worry about those things. He worries about just being a great teammate, continuing to improve his game. (I) sure love this team. And he's one of those guys that you really love."

Nacua pushed his season totals to 96 catches for 1,327 yards and five scores on Thursday night and is now just 147 yards shy of Bill Groman's single-season rookie record with two games remaining.

Meanwhile, Stroud has the Houston Texans in the playoff hunt and has racked up 3,631 yards and 20 touchdowns against five interceptions. The No. 2 pick's candidacy seemed iron-clad a month ago, but he missed Week 15 with a concussion and is reportedly likely to sit out again in Week 16.

Stroud also had a three-interception performance in a win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11 before producing his worst game of the season in a 30-6 loss to the New York Jets in Week 14, ending the contest with only 91 passing yards on 23 attempts.

While Stroud was an obvious award candidate following a standout career at Ohio State, Nacua wasn't on anyone's radar after being selected in the fifth round. Even the rookie receiver himself said he was just focused on how to carve out a role as a special teamer.

"I was thinking about how would I be able to block well enough to get on the field and if I was going to be a special teams player and how I was going to be able to figure that out," Nacua said.