Cooper Kupp has been historically great for the Los Angeles Rams this season, posting 100 receptions, 1,366 yards, and 11 touchdowns through the first 12 games. The Eastern Washington product finished this past week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with eight receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown, marking his eighth straight game of hauling in seven-plus receptions, a new franchise record.
Considering guys like Henry Ellard, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt have all suited up for the Rams over the years, it’s impressive that Kupp was able to secure any franchise record at the wide receiver position. If Kupp hadn’t have been limited to only five receptions in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals — the team that Los Angeles faces again in Week 14 — he would have 12 games and counting with seven-plus catches.
When the Rams are on offense, it’s worth paying attention to Kupp and seeing what route he runs. While Kupp doesn’t run a ton of go routes or other deep patterns, he’s still been highly effective.
Check out the chart below, which shows his route frequency relative to other receivers.
And here’s Cooper Kupp — also a very low rate of gos and deep fades! pic.twitter.com/hzpRZAe0GS
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) December 7, 2021
For those that have watched the Rams, it shouldn’t come as much of a shocker that Kupp’s most common route is a hitch. Kupp is always coming up with creative ways to run the hitch route, finding the hole in the defense and making himself open for Matthew Stafford to deliver the ball.
Flats and slot-outs are also common for Kupp this season, which are routes that allow him to use his pristine route-running to get open. Whenever the Rams need a few yards or a play to get the offense into a rhythm, they typically hit Kupp on a flat or slot-out.
Some people may not be avid fans of Kupp because he’s not the most exciting wide receiver to watch due to his lack of jump-ball receptions. Even with Kupp having a limited number of routes he runs, he’s nearly perfected all of them, allowing him to lead the league in multiple categories at the wide receiver position.
