Canadian tight end Nikola Kalinic received high praise from his head coach after helping his team execute a fake punt to perfection in the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the San Francisco 49ers this past weekend.
The Toronto native provided the lead block on a fake punt, allowing backup running back Ronnie Rivers to secure a first down on fourth-and-six. Kalinic blocked two different opponents on the play, initially slowing receiver Chris Conley with his right arm before diving into defensive back George Odum, creating just enough space for Rivers to generate a first down.
“You look at the sell-out (block) by Niko Kalinic — he secured Conley and then to be able to sell out on Odum on the second level, that allows Ronnie to be able to put his foot in the ground (and get a first down),” said Rams’ head coach Sean McVay on his podcast. “This is just a great job.”
Coach McVay on 🇨🇦 Nikola Kalinic #83 TE #SpecialTeams #FakePunt #LARams #RamsHouse #NFL @NidzoKalinic pic.twitter.com/SGSuRKtqnM
— Fred Weinrauch (@Proplayersagent) September 25, 2024
The play occurred near the midway point of the second quarter with Los Angeles trailing 14-0. It ended up helping spark a comeback as the Rams defeated the 49ers by a score of 27-24 to secure their first win of the season, improving to 1-2.
“(This fake punt) is something that our guys had worked on,” said McVay. “There was a possibility that the look could present itself and I thought it was an excellent (direct) snap (to Rivers) by Alex Ward.”
Kalinic is in his second year with the Rams after spending all of last season on the practice roster. He was recently promoted to the team’s active roster and it didn’t take long for him to make an impact on special teams.
The 27-year-old was a second-round pick of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2019 CFL Draft out of York University. He spent two seasons with the team before signing with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent in 2022, dressing for seven games that year and making two starts.
The Rams (1-2) will visit the Chicago Bears (1-2) on Sunday, Sept. 29 with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m. EDT.
