During the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl run three years ago, Cooper Kupp put together one of the best postseasons ever by a wide receiver. He set a record with 33 receptions, the most by a player in a single postseason, and his 478 yards and six touchdowns rank second all-time behind only Larry Fitzgerald.
The Rams are only one game into the playoffs this year, but Kupp’s role is vastly different. He was targeted just once in the Rams’ win over the Vikings on Monday night, his fourth straight game with fewer than four receptions and under 30 yards.
Kupp’s drop-off has been sudden and shocking, going from averaging seven catches for 73 yards in his first nine games of the season to only having five catches for 82 total yards in his last four games – an average of only 20.5 yards per game.
Kupp was asked about his reduced role and slumping stats on Thursday, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’s taken it in stride. He’s aware that his numbers have fallen off but when he watches the tape, he feels he’s still playing well and doing what’s asked of him.
“It’s football in some respects. Statistically speaking, I’ve gone through similar things like this before,” he said. “Back in 2019, I think I finished the last half of that season probably averaging less than 50 yards a game or something like that. Statistically, there’s something wrong. I can look back on these times like I was playing good football. In the same way, I just want to be playing good football. I want to go watch the tape and see that I’m doing things the right way, separating, competing for my teammates, blocking and doing my assignments. I am and that’s all I can do. That’s all that I can control. Whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to continue to do that.”
Although his numbers have been unimpressive and abnormal compared to what he’s done throughout his career, Kupp feels that if he keeps doing his job and putting in the work, the targets and yards will come.
“I do believe that if you do things the right way for long enough, eventually things will come back full circle,” he said. “I’m going to take that mentality, keep praying and these things will work out.”
As with every receiver in the NFL, they’re not fully to blame for a lack of opportunities. There are five eligible receivers on each play and not all play calls are designed for one specific player.
Several things need to go right on a given play for it to be successful. The protection has to hold up, the receiver has to get open and the quarterback has to deliver a catchable ball.
With Kupp, there have been plays where he’s open, but a breakdown somewhere on the field has prevented him from getting the ball – like on the play Monday night where Matthew Stafford had to throw the ball into the ground while getting tackled.
Stafford said Kupp was wide open on that play, but there was a miscue with the protection that prevented him from getting the ball.
“That’s been kind of the story of the year,” Kupp said. “It’s just kind of been every time – the few plays that you have a really good opportunity to make a big play, it just breaks down somewhere. It doesn’t work out, but that’s football. That’s football and I’m on a really long streak with some unfortunate things that happen. It is what it is. I’m going to continue to compete and battle. I’m going to continue to come in here and work for these guys. That’s how it goes sometimes.”
It doesn’t sound like anyone in the Rams’ building is doubting Kupp’s ability to have an impact on the game. They know what type of receiver he is, despite the current slump he’s in.
Stafford is well aware of the missed opportunities to get Kupp the ball, but he hasn’t seen the veteran receiver change his approach or mentality throughout this tough stretch.
“It’s been strange,” Stafford said of Kupp’s recent dry spell. “Obviously, the ball that I ended up throwing to Puka’s feet the other day, he’s sitting there wide open and it just seemed like – we were re-watching the first time we played the Eagles earlier this year … and he’s open on another one and I get hit right as I’m throwing it, too. He’s like, ‘It’s kind of been the way it’s gone.’ Sometimes those things happen and he’s an unbelievable teammate, a guy that sacrifices for our team in so many different ways. I know that we’re at our best when everybody on the field is touching the ball and he made his presence felt on Monday night with a big-time catch on a third down that we needed. Anything we can do to get him the ball, that’s great. If you talk to him, he’s just such a great team guy. He’s all about us winning and doing whatever he can to help us win.”
The Rams will take on the Eagles this Sunday in a rematch of their Week 12 meeting when Kupp caught eight passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, finishing second on the team in receptions and receiving yards.
The offense is better when he’s involved and making plays, but for one reason or another, he simply hasn’t seen many targets. Perhaps that changes on Sunday against a very good Eagles secondary.
