SEATTLE -- As the Los Angeles Rams prepared for their trip to Seattle, wide receiver Tutu Atwell wanted to make sure Cooper Kupp, who had been ruled out with a hamstring injury, would be on the sideline against the Seahawks.
"I said, 'Make sure you can come,'" Atwell said. "It's just like a second eye. What I can't see, he can see. And I just ask him questions off the field, and he's a great, great person. And I appreciate him for that."
With Kupp nearby, Atwell (six catches) and rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua (10 catches) each had 119 receiving yards in the Rams' 30-13 win over the Seahawks on Sunday. Nacua set a franchise record for receiving yards in a first career game, and the pair became the first Rams teammates to each have at least 100 receiving yards in a season opener since Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce in 2003, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
"I'm so proud of those guys, but I'm not surprised," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "That's what Tutu Atwell had been doing, going months back. And I thought he really started to play with a lot of confidence towards the latter part of last year when he got his opportunities that were earned.
"Puka Nacua has come in and he's as mature a rookie as I've ever been around. And he is a physical, tough, strong player. He's got a great way about himself. And both of those guys stepped up."
The Rams will be without Kupp for at least three more games after he was placed on injured reserve Saturday.
In the locker room after the game, Nacua couldn't keep a smile off his face, noting he hadn't even had a chance to call his mother and the rest of his family.
"I can't wait to [call them]," Nacua said. "I know they're watching and hopefully screaming, but it was just ... this is football heaven for me."
Nacua said he tried not to put more pressure on himself because of Kupp's absence but that he appreciated having "a second coach" in Kupp on the sideline.
"It's always nice to have him on the field, but then when he's not, the level of communication he has takes another step to being able to make sure we understand," Nacua said. "And when we're coming back and we're checking the iPads and stuff like that, he's the first one there saying, 'Hey,' either 'good job' or 'this is what I'm seeing and this is what I'm looking at.' Coop's the man. I love that guy. I feel like I'm blessed to be in this situation."
Nacua, a fifth-round pick, had the most receiving yards for a player drafted in the fifth round or later (or undrafted) in his NFL debut since 2000, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 24 of 38 passes for 334 yards, his eighth 300-yard passing game in a season opener, tying Matt Ryan for the second-most such games in NFL history. McVay said Stafford checked "all the boxes" with his performance Sunday, specifically praising the quarterback's command and communication against Seattle.
Despite Los Angeles' success through the air, Stafford didn't throw a touchdown; all three scores came on the ground, with two from running back Kyren Williams and one from running back Cam Akers.
Stafford praised Nacua as a "big, physical kid who understands the game," but the rookie gave credit to the team's other receivers, including Atwell and Van Jefferson, for helping to put him in the position he was in Sunday.
"They've helped accelerate my learning," Nacua said. "It's been so fun to get to ask questions. I hope they never get annoyed with me. I have four older brothers, so I'm used to being the annoying little brother, but they never make me feel like that and always helping me learn."