Star receiver Cooper Kupp was on his A game against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, notching his third game with 100 or more yards receiving in the 2022 season for the Los Angeles Rams. With 14 catches on 19 targets, Kupp set a career high for raw receptions in a game, and was involved in the Rams’ longest play from scrimmage in the matchup on an 18-yard catch.
His contributions were one of the only reasons that Los Angeles’ offense was able to get into field goal range in the primetime blowout, and without Kupp to present a downfield threat, the Rams likely wouldn’t have been able to score. He is reliant on quarterback Matthew Stafford to get him the ball with consistency, but when the signal-caller struggles as he did last night, the team is at a marked disadvantage.
Los Angeles’ defense didn’t do him any favors either, letting the 49ers score seemingly at will and forcing the offensive strategy to get desperate starting in the first quarter. Next week, the team’s game plan will need to find a more suitable balance between the run and pass games, so as to minimize the amount of time that the opposing defense can spend keyed in on Kupp on a drive-by-drive basis.
The Rams will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, and the prospect of starting quarterback Dak Prescott’s return looms large over the discourse around the game’s possible outcome. Los Angeles will look to get back on track in their divisional standings with a win, but given their defeat to the 49ers on Monday, it seems unlikely that they will be able to take sole ownership of first place, even if they emerge victorious.
For now, the team will re-group and seek to find solutions on both sides of the ball, focusing on getting star talents like Kupp involved in more creative ways against their next opponent.
