Puka Nacua may have made the greatest catch in the history of football that didn't actually count as a catch.
The Los Angeles Rams' superstar wide receiver, in desperation mode trailing late Monday night to the Falcons, dove toward the sideline for a pass from Matthew Stafford.
Nacua harnessed the football with his left hand, tapped both feet, fell to the ground, and still had the ball at the end of it.
On the field, they called it a catch.
Replay review showed the football had come loose between when Nacua's feet hit the ground and when he landed out of bounds.
The bobble made the referee overturn the call on review and deem it an incompletion.
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Plenty of people on social media weren't thrilled.
By the verb, to catch, Nacua caught the ball.
But by the NFL rulebook he hadn't.
If this isn’t a CATCH, just cancel the sport of football
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) December 30, 2025
No one knows what a catch is anymore
INSANE effort by Puka Nacua, unbelievable coordination and hand-eye
I see enough control and I see toes dragging, game on the line, it’s a catch for me
pic.twitter.com/KbTPNEeGMk
It is one of the most intense examples of the annoyance of the NFL catch rules.
The only reason we know it wasn't a "catch" is the slow-motion replay.
He caught the ball. He landed with it. He stood up with it.
But by the rules, in this case, that wasn't enough. And it spoiled what would've been a career highlight for Nacua.
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