The Los Angeles Rams just seem to almost always get the best of the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll struggled mightily with LA, especially after Sean McVay joined the Rams. Through three games, Mike Macdonald is 1-2 against LA, and the win was against a backup quarterback.
Elite players have come and one in Los Angeles, but one of the team's newest stars is not afraid to throw some shade at the current Seahawks. This is exactly what wide receiver Puka Nacua did on the Pat McAfee Show after LA defeated Seattle in Week 11. In the game, Darnold threw four interceptions.
As part of the backstory, in case 12s didn't know, Darnold started his career with the New York Jets and notoriously had one terrible outing in 2019 where his team lost to the New England Patriots 33-0, during which he was mic'd on the field and told his coach he was "seeing ghosts." That is the last thing a QB needs to say.
Rams receiver Puka Nacua throws serious shade at Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold
It is also a phrase that never quite leaves the quarterback's legacy. Nacua and everyone else know that Sam Darnold once uttered the phrase. The wide receiver reminded listeners and viewers that he knows all about Darnold's past struggles.
Nacua told McAfee that in the lead-up to Week 11, "(Davante Adams) was asking me, knowing we had a big divisional game coming up this week, he was just like, ‘Man, it just feels like this is an emotional game for everybody.' And I’m like, ‘Hey, Tae, as long as we do our stuff on our side of the ball, they may be seeing ghosts out there on Sunday.'"
Clearly, there was intent behind Nacua's words, and McAfee knew it. He responded simply, "Jeez!" and the conversation moved on.
Of course, Nacua, not yet known around the league to talk smack a lot, might have just been aware of the situation and that being on a program such as McAfee's, and knew he had the platform to say something to stir up some drama. He did it well.
Of course, the Seattle Seahawks and Sam Darnold get another chance at the Los Angeles Rams and Puka Nacua later in the season. Maybe several narratives will change during that game. The most important being that Seattle can consistently compete with LA.
The other might be that Darnold can have a great game in an extremely important game. If that happens, Seattle will probably win. Nacua won't be able to say that the Seahawks' QB1 is still seeing ghosts.