The Rams suffered a heartbreaking 33-26 defeat Sunday as they traveled to play the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. L.A. lined up for a last-second field goal to try and win the game, but it was blocked by Philadelphia and returned by defensive tackle Jordan Davis for a touchdown.
Rams top receiver Puka Nacua had a big day with 11 catches for 112 yards, but he was also called for a questionable taunting penalty toward the end of the third quarter after a big third-down reception. After a 20-yard grab, he stood up and flexed before pointing toward the end zone. Seems pretty harmless, right?
Here's the play where Nacua was flagged:
Maybe the officiating crew thought Nacua was pointing toward a defender, but from the replay you can see the actions aren't in a particular individual's direction. Following the game, the star receiver was asked about the moment and said that the flex which led to the taunting penalty is no different than the usual celebration he does after first-down catches, according to ESPN NFL Nation's Sarah Barshop. Nacua even felt his celebration was similar to one from Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown that wasn't flagged per Barshop.
Safe to say the football world couldn't believe Nacua was flagged for the seemingly normal celebration.
