Cooper Kupp had an uncharacteristically quiet game last week against the San Francisco 49ers, being held without a catch in the Los Angeles Rams’ 12-6 win. It wasn’t a very productive passing day for anyone given the rainy weather, but Kupp was especially uninvolved in the offense.
It was just the third time in his career that he finished a game without a single reception, and while he did contribute as a blocker and decoy on some plays, he would have loved to have an impact as a receiver, too.
On Thursday, Kupp commented on his catchless game for the first time, admitting he was “obviously frustrated” but is willing to do whatever it takes to win. That quote should surprise no one, given the leader and team player Kupp has always been in the Rams’ locker room.
“You’re obviously frustrated. You want to be able to contribute in the pass game and that goes without saying,” he said. “I don’t think anyone needs to say that they want to be able to have opportunities to touch the ball, but at the same time the way that game played out, that’s not what I was asked to do and I’m going to execute whatever they’re asking me. That’s been our thing here for years. Whatever it’s going to take to win, that’s what we have to do. We have the right guys in the building to understand that and that’s what we pride ourselves on. We’re going to do it. We know in the receiver room that if we come in and they ask us like, ‘Hey, we’re going 12-personnel and we’re running the ball every time this week,’ it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s go. Let’s figure out how we’re going to make that happen and how to make it come to life.’ The way that game played out, that’s what I was asked to do.”
Kupp has been overtaken as the team’s No. 1 receiver by Puka Nacua, who’s been even more efficient and productive in Year 2 than he was as a rookie. Kupp has still had some stellar performances, including his 92-yard game against the Bills just two weeks ago.
But he’s not putting up the numbers that he did when he was at his peak in 2021, which is understandable given his age and injury history.
Nacua admits he was surprised by Kupp’s catchless performance against the 49ers, but he also added that it didn’t change the way Kupp prepared this week or celebrated with his teammates last Thursday.
“It definitely did surprise me,” Nacua said. “The leader of our room, the professional that I’ve been able to watch and study in Cooper Kupp, it didn’t change how he comes out here to work. It didn’t change how he celebrated with us that we were winning on Thursday night football. It just doesn’t change who he has been. It makes everything flow over here perfectly because we know he’s still going to come out here on Thursday and every day before we had practice today and gave that same effort to be our leader.”
Kupp has been the ultimate teammate and competitor for the Rams, so he’s not going to make a fuss about being held without a catch and only seeing three targets. You can bet he’ll see a healthier number of targets on Sunday when the Rams face the Jets, though.
