Cooper Kupp put together the best performance of his young career against the Bengals on Sunday, torching Cincinnati for 220 yards and one touchdown in London. He caught seven of his 10 targets and proved impossible to cover whether it was against man or zone.
His play is a big reason the Rams won that game, accounting for 59% of Jared Goff’s passing yards and nearly half of the team’s total. His career game didn’t earn him NFC Player of the Week honors, but it was still a day to remember for Kupp.
He displayed everything that makes him one of the best receivers in the NFL: sure hands, crisp route running and the awareness to find holes in zone coverage. Let’s take a look at exactly how Kupp racked up 220 yards on the day, going through each of his seven catches with All-22 film from NFL GamePass.
21 yards on third-and-8
This route combination is a staple of Sean McVay’s offense. Kupp lines up just outside Gerald Everett on the left side of the formation. Everett runs an in-breaking route, Kupp hesitates for a second, fakes inside and breaks toward the sideline on a zig route.
Everett just barely gets in the defender’s way to free Kupp for a second, and then the wideout does the rest. He jukes the corner and gains an addition 12 yards after the catch.
25 yards on second-and-16
Kupp often lines up in the slot, and that’s exactly where he started on this play. Josh Reynolds runs straight up the seam to clear out the defense against this zone coverage, which opens up the middle of the field for Kupp.
Goff doesn’t miss the wide-open receiver and hits him for a 25-yard gain. This was easy pickings for Goff and Kupp.
31 yards on third-and-5
It’s hard for a receiver to get much more open on an intermediate route than this. The Bengals bluff an inside blitz with their linebackers, which allows Kupp to slip behind the second level of the zone uncovered.
Goff fit the ball perfectly over the linebacker’s outstretched hand and found Kupp with no one around him in the middle of the field.
23 yards on third-and-8
Look familiar? Although not the same play as the one above, Kupp finds another opening in the zone and Goff hits him for a big play. Robert Woods’ quick hitch route causes the defensive back to bite up just enough to free up Kupp.
Again, Goff makes a good throw to hit his receiver in stride, and from there, Kupp once again picks up good yardage after the catch, making one defender miss in the open field.
65 yards on first-and-10
This is what really set Kupp’s day apart. It’s one of the best play calls you’ll see all season, and you’ve probably watched it 15 times already. Kupp takes the handoff from Goff, pitches it to Woods, who then laterals it back to Goff.
All the while, Kupp is slipping down the near sideline wide open. Fortunately, B.W. Webb slips on the play and is unable to get to Kupp. Had he kept his footing, Kupp might’ve gotten leveled after the catch. He certainly wouldn’t have scored if Webb didn’t slip.
15 yards on third-and-4
This is just terrible coverage by the Bengals. Everett’s route to the outside carries two defenders with him, essentially acting as a pick – a legal one, of course. With the outside cornerback blocked by Everett, Kupp gives a little jab step and breaks inside on a quick slant. Woods’ inside route carries Webb with him, too, which opens things up further for Kupp.
Easy pitch and catch for Goff and Kupp.
Incredibly, this was Kupp’s shortest gain of the day, going for “just” 15 yards. Every other reception was for at least 21 yards.
40 yards on third-and-10
Finally, we have Kupp’s last catch of the day – and it was undoubtedly the prettiest. On third-and-10 early in the third quarter with the Rams up 17-10, Goff took a shot deep.
Kupp was double-covered, but that didn’t make any difference. Goff perfectly lofted the ball over both defenders and into the only spot the pass could’ve gone, picking up 40 yards on what was arguably the most important play of the game.
The Rams scored a touchdown a few plays later, pushing their lead to 24-10, which was ultimately the final score.
Here’s another angle of the throw and catch, because it was that good.
There were a lot of commonalities among Kupp’s seven catches. The majority of them were toward the middle of the field, with only one breaking outside toward the sideline. You might’ve noticed that many of his receptions came on third down.
Five of his seven catches were on third down, which is part of the reason the Rams were able to sustain drives the way they did. They were 7-for-13 on that crucial down with Kupp picking up five of them. Additionally, all seven of Kupp’s receptions picked up first downs.
Kupp is so much more than just a slot receiver, proving to be one of the best wideouts in all of football. It’s no wonder he’s second in the NFL in yards (792), third in receptions (58) and tied for second in touchdowns (5).
