Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was ejected on Sunday for throwing a punch at Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson.
The punch took place as the Seahawks held a 6-3 lead late in the second quarter. Matthew Stafford targeted Nacua on a downfield pass on first-and-10 from the Los Angeles 44-yard line.
Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen intercepted the ball at the Seattle 25-yard line and was down by contact. Woolen returned the ball, apparently not realizing that he was down.
Dodson engaged with Nacua to block him as Woolen ran with the ball. Nacua, apparently realizing that the play was over and frustrated by the turnover, punched Dodson with his right fist in the side of Dodson’s helmet.
Officials saw the punch and flagged Nakua for unnecessary roughness. They ejected him from the game, but Nakua didn’t immediately leave the field. He sat on the bench for several moments before eventually jogging to the locker room with 17 seconds left in the half to a round of boos from the home Seattle crowd.
The turnover and the penalty put Seattle with the ball at its own 40-yard line with 27 seconds remaining in the half. The Seahawks responded with a three-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to extend their lead to 13-3 before halftime.
For Nakua, the incident adds to a tough season for the second-year wide receiver who broke out with a Pro Bowl campaign as a rookie. Nakua suffered a PCL injury in the Rams’ season opener and missed the next five games.
He returned in Week 8 week to tally seven catches for 106 yards in a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings, flashing the upside that he showed as a rookie that made him a prime target in fantasy football. But he left Sunday’s game with just one catch for 11 yards and his Rams trailing the NFC West rival Seahawks.