In the first three weeks of the season, Cooper Kupp caught six of the seven third-down passes that were thrown his way. As he has been for the last four years, he was just about automatic on third down.
But against the Cardinals on Sunday, he only caught one of his four third-down targets. It went for 35 yards on a beautiful throw from Matthew Stafford deep over the middle, but the Cardinals did an excellent job taking him away on that crucial down.
That was their plan, too.
Cornerback Byron Murphy admitted after the game that the Cardinals emphasized the importance of slowing Kupp down, especially on third down. The result? A quiet five-catch, 64 yard day by Kupp on 13 targets.
CB Byron Murphy says the Cards have "respect toward Cooper Kupp. We know what type of player he is. This week (he) was emphasized because we know on third downs, he’s a favorite target."
Kupp finished with 5 catches on 13 targets by Stafford.
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) October 3, 2021
Kupp dropped one pass on the first drive and had another ball go through his hands on third down, struggling to find any sort of rhythm with Stafford. The two were on the same page and dominated the first three games of the season, but they ran into some trouble against Arizona.
We’ll see if the Rams’ upcoming opponents make a point to take Kupp away on third down, too.
