Some matchups feel less like a chess match and more like a collision course, and Week 17 brings one of those moments for A.J. Terrell against Puka Nacua, who's been the most dominant pass-catcher in football in this fall.
The numbers alone set the tone: 37 targets over the last three weeks. Volume, trust, inevitability. The Rams know exactly who they are, and so does everyone else. And this provides the perfect bounce-back opportunity for the Atlanta Falcons' struggling star.
For Terrell, he's long been the Falcons’ stabilizer on the outside -- a corner built on patience and quiet consistency. He doesn’t chase interceptions. He erases windows. And against Nacua, that discipline becomes non-negotiable.
What separates Nacua, who has 114 catches already in 2025, isn't just his physicality or route detail, but the relentlessness of his usage. He is targeted on early downs, third downs, in-breaking routes, deep overs, the screen game, and of course the trusted red-zone fade in the Sean McVay offense.
He is moved across formations to dictate matchups and exhaust coverage rules, and Terrell’s challenge will not simply be covering Nacua -- it will be surviving the accumulation of snaps, contact, and decision-making that comes with defending a receiver who never leaves the script.
However, Terrell’s strengths align well with the task. His ability to stay patient through the stem, maintain inside leverage, and contest at the catch point without panicking gives him a fighting shot against Nacua’s strength and body control.
But it's also a game where help may be scarce as the Rams force defenses to choose, and Atlanta may ask Terrell to hold up alone at times so resources can be devoted elsewhere.
In that sense, it's not about shutting Nacua down. Few corners do. It's about limiting efficiency, forcing Matthew Stafford to reset, and turning high-volume targets into contested, low-margin outcomes. And if Terrell can do that -- snap after snap -- he gives Atlanta a path and potentially, possibly, maybe, keep the game within reach as the fourth quarter arrives.