When Cooper Kupp returned to the lineup last week, it had been almost a year since he played a full game. That’s a long time for a player to go without stepping foot on the field.
He missed the end of last season with an ankle injury and was sidelined to start this season due to a hamstring strain, once again raising questions about his durability. Regardless of whether Kupp is considered “durable” or not, he’s quickly reminded everyone just how talented he is when healthy.
In his first two games back from injury, Kupp has looked like the same guy we saw win Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in 2021. After catching eight passes for 118 yards in his season debut last week, he followed it up with seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Cardinals.
In total, he already has 15 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown this season. That’s only 43 yards fewer than Tutu Atwell has in six games played, and it’s more than every other Rams player besides Puka Nacua.
Cooper Kupp in two games since returning:
15 catches
266 yards
TDThe triple crown king is back. pic.twitter.com/0RKjraDzVp
— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2023
Sean McVay has done a great job utilizing Kupp in his first two games back, putting him in favorable matchups against both man and zone coverages. Against the Cardinals on Sunday, he put Kupp tight to the formation where he’d be going against a linebacker, which is an easy battle for Kupp to win.
The result? A 37-yard gain where Kupp showed off his speed up the sideline, always an underrated aspect of his game.
Great to see @CooperKupp back and making plays like this one
📺: #AZvsLAR on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLOt8O pic.twitter.com/tAEiKkcFxp— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
Later on in the first half, Kupp beat the Cardinals deep for a 49-yard game before halftime, which set up a field goal to pull the Rams to within three points of Arizona.
Again, Kupp may not be heralded as a fast receiver, but he had enough speed to get behind the defense at a critical part of the game – similar to the way he did against the Bucs in the playoffs during the Rams’ Super Bowl run.
Cooper Kupp's down there somewhere
📺: #AZvsLAR on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLOt8O pic.twitter.com/VTdP8cPGFB— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
And then in the second half, Kupp made yet another impressive play. He ran a beautiful route to create some separation and make the throw easier for Matthew Stafford, dragging his feet inbounds for a 21-yard gain.
It’s a play we’ve seen countless times by Kupp, but we may have forgotten just how easy he makes plays like this look.
Let us see your 1, 2 Step, @CooperKupp. 😏
📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/M9VhhXIw4c
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 15, 2023
Even after missing four games, Kupp is poised to finish with yet another 1,000-yard season. He’s averaging 133 yards per game, which puts him on pace for 1,729 yards in just 13 games – assuming he stays healthy and keeps up this torrid run.
On a day when Stafford “only” had 226 yards passing, Kupp accounted for 148 of them. He’s unquestionably back as the quarterback’s favorite target, and while some will call for the Rams to spread the ball around more, Kupp is so dangerous that it’s hard not to feed him when he gets open as often as he does.
