It’s no secret that Matthew Stafford likes to throw the ball to Cooper Kupp. It’s been that way since Stafford joined the Rams last season, helping Kupp win the triple crown by leading the league in receptions, yards and touchdown catches.
Stafford’s reliance on Kupp wasn’t an issue last season because the offense was humming. This year? It’s been a different story, and it’s no fault of Kupp’s.
The Rams’ passing game has struggled, in part because Stafford has taken a step back behind a shaky offensive line. Stafford has also had very little success throwing to the team’s other receivers.
Kupp leads the Rams with 813 yards, and the next-closest player is Tyler Higbee with 312 yards. Allen Robinson is third (248) and Ben Skowronek is fourth on the team (231), but no other player has more than 100 yards besides those four.
So naturally, when you take away Kupp’s numbers, Stafford’s passing stats look…unsightly.
Matthew Stafford [Minus Cooper Kupp]
W1: 112 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT
W2: 164 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
W3: 205 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
W4: 132 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
W5: 183 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
W6: 173 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
W8: 108 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
W9: 38 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT1,115 yards, 2 TD, 8 INT
— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) November 8, 2022
It’s not as cut and dry as those numbers make it seem, especially looking at the interception total, but it is an indication of how one-dimensional the Rams offense is. Essentially, if Kupp doesn’t have a good game, the entire offense struggles.
There have only been two instances where a Rams player besides Kupp had more than 70 yards in a game, and it was Higbee both times: 71 yards in Week 2 and 73 in Week 4. Robinson’s highest output was 63 yards and Skowronek’s was 66 yards.
There’s no one to take pressure off of Kupp, which is a problem and is crippling the offense.
