Cooper Kupp has had a lot of great performances over the course of his five-year career, with one of his best coming in the divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he had nine catches for 183 yards and a touchdown in the Los Angeles Rams’ win. But he’s never had more yards than he did in Week 8 of the 2019 season when he caught seven passes for 220 yards and a touchdown, averaging a whopping 31.4 yards per catch – by far the highest of his career.
Oh, and that game came against the Cincinnati Bengals, who the Rams will face in Super Bowl LVI.
It was Kupp’s only game against the Bengals in five NFL seasons, but he made it count. He torched Cincinnati for three straight quarters before the Rams took their foot off the gas in the fourth, cruising to a 24-10 win in London.
It wasn’t as if Kupp had one or two big plays that inflated his yardage total, either. Here’s a breakdown of his 10 targets in that game.
- 21-yard gain
- 25-yard gain
- 31-yard gain
- 23-yard gain
- 65-yard touchdown
- Incomplete
- 15-yard gain
- Incomplete
- 40-yard gain
- Incomplete
Kupp’s overall grade from Pro Football Focus in that game was a career-best 91.1, higher than any game he’s played this season. He forced one missed tackle, didn’t have a single drop and gained 124 yards after the catch, doing most of his damage with the ball in his hands.
If you don’t remember that game – it was more than two years ago, after all – refresh your memory with highlights from Kupp’s performance below.
This is obviously a very different Bengals defense now, but one player who still remains is Jessie Bates III at safety. Kupp did so much of his damage over the middle in that game, erasing angles taken by the talented safety in the open field.
Expect the Rams to attack the middle of the field once again in the Super Bowl, utilizing Kupp on digs, slants and crossing routes that put the centerfield safety in a bind. Cincinnati’s secondary is much improved compared to that 2019 game, but so is Kupp.
