All seemed lost for the Los Angeles Rams late in Sunday’s divisional matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite jumping out to a 27-3 lead in the contest, the Rams did everything in their power to suffer the same fate as the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51, allowing Tom Brady to lead his team back into the game with time waning down.
The game became knotted up at 27 following a Leonard Fournette touchdown run, leaving 42 seconds and a timeout for the Rams to avoid becoming a meme like the Falcons and the Golden State Warriors. While it was all smiles earlier in the game, every fan of the Rams watching everything unfold likely felt as if their heart was going to burst out of their chest.
But on the final drive of the fourth quarter, it was Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp that made career-defining plays when it mattered most. The drive began with Stafford taking a sack for a loss of 1, forcing Los Angeles to use its final timeout.
It felt as if the Rams were imploding at the most unfortunate time and that the Buccaneers were going to have all of the momentum entering overtime. The good thing is, Stafford and Kupp didn’t like the idea of playing overtime.
So in quick succession, Stafford would connect with Kupp on a 20-yard pass following the sack and timeout. Kupp was able to create space on the play, catch the ball, and then have the awareness to get out of bounds.
Todd Bowles has always lived and died by the blitz, and it’s safe to say it was the latter in what would be the game-deciding play. The Buccaneers brought a blitz from the nickel cornerback on the very next play and Stafford stood strong in the pocket, delivering a perfect pass down the field to Kupp.
Kupp was matched up one-on-one with safety Antoine Winfield Jr., so the advantage was in favor of the Rams. And with everyone holding their breath while the ball was in the air, Kupp corraled the pass and Los Angeles was able to spike the ball in time for Matt Gay to convert the game-winning field goal.
9️⃣ TO 1️⃣0️⃣ TO SET UP THE WIN! pic.twitter.com/1hrjkOa4lQ
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 23, 2022
The Rams lost four fumbles throughout the game, including a rare miscue by Kupp himself when he was trying to gain extra yards on a reception. Los Angeles was able to overcome those fumbles and Kupp more than made up for his earlier blunder.
At the end of the game, Kupp finished with nine receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown. His final two receptions couldn’t have come at a better time for the Rams.
Kupp missed the Rams’ divisional round game against the Packers last season due to injury and was out for their Super Bowl run in 2018, but he’s already been a difference-maker this postseason now that he’s healthy.
While Stafford made some legacy-altering plays in Sunday’s narrow victory over the Buccaneers, Kupp showed exactly why he’s such a game-changer for the Rams in the postseason.
