Inside Cooper Kupp’s amazing season—all those TDs, an epic stiff-arm and the play that’s ‘gonna be clinic tape’ (2024)

For 19 games, Cooper Kupp has played like a man obsessed — because he is one.

Kupp finished the Rams’ regular season with 1,947 yards (the second-most in a single season of all time) on 145 catches (also second-most) and 16 touchdowns (tied for fifth-most). He won the NFL’s rare Triple Crown as the leader in yards, catches and touchdowns, becoming just the fourth player to do so since 1970’s merger. As the postseason continues, the accolades are flowing in for Kupp. He was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time. He was unanimously selected as a first-time All-Pro, and this week he became the first receiver to be selected as the Pro Football Writers of America’s offensive player of the year.

In press conferences, Kupp acknowledges his accolades with an easy, albeit slightly uncomfortable smile and a reminder: He’s not done yet. Kupp and the Rams face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

Kupp’s fixation has never been with records or his own statistics, but with football itself.

He is a player so wholly consumed with finding advantages and leverages and exploiting every margin within himself, toward a collective goal. A season of personally perfect moments means little to Kupp if the Rams don’t advance.

As Kupp, his current and former coaches and teammates tell the story of his historic season, his ethos emerges clearly: A love of the game in its rawest form, its most technical, its most physical, its most selfless and most emotional.

Week 1, Rams vs. Bears; 7 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown

Kupp’s favorite play of the Rams’ season did not feature him catching the ball.

Instead, it was Stafford’s first touchdown pass in SoFi Stadium, a 67-yard deep shot off the play-action to second-year receiver Van Jefferson, who caught the ball at about the 20-yard line, rolled, then sprang up untouched and ran into the end zone.

Kupp: We were able to get little play-action, fake the run to the right and I had (outside linebacker) Robert Quinn on my side; I was just pass-blocking on the play. But Van’s running downfield, Rob (Robert Woods) is running right to left, he’s able to get the backside corner/safety to bite down at least just for a little bit. … Matthew did a great job. He gets out of the pocket, re-sets his feet and launches that thing all the way over to that right side. Just how we practiced it. That’s gonna be clinic tape.

Understated in his own words on the play was Kupp blocking Quinn into the stack, which meant Quinn could not get into the backfield to cut off Stafford’s footpath on the play-action. That gave Jefferson the time to get downfield.

Rams head coach Sean McVay: You look at Cooper Kupp securing the edge with Robert Quinn coming off our left, he kind of collapsed that edge.

Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris: To watch him block a D-end, an outside backer, with a combination block with a tackle or a tight end, it’s probably one of the most impressive things I’ve seen — from a receiver standpoint — of all time.

To so much of an effect, I had to go to him and tell him how wrong I was about him in my evaluation (of him), when I was coaching receivers. And I said, “I’m sorry. You’re the greatest. I love you.”

The Rams have relied on Kupp’s efforts as a blocker to unlock parts of their offense for years, but in 2021, his responsibility in that phase expanded further. Kupp picked the brains of offensive linemen between meetings, to the point where they started to joke that he was simply feeling “left out” of their position group.

Right tackle Rob Havenstein: (He does) half the stuff that we do, on back sides and front sides. It’s truly amazing to see. … You can have a conversation with him, about, like, if I want to turn back and help because that’s what my assignment brings to me. I can talk to him about how I feel (a block) playing out, and he can tell me, and we work off of that. Cooper is a selfless guy.

Left tackle Andrew Whitworth: You’ll see him have a huge 20-, 30-yard catch where he makes people miss and has a huge gain for us, and then the next play he’s the pivotal at-point person that we’re running the ball at … (He’s) blocking defensive ends and linebackers and stuff as a receiver, it’s just crazy. And then the next play, he’s catching a 20-yard over route or something.

Week 2, Rams at Colts; 9 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns

By the end of 2021, McVay was aligning Kupp pre- or at-snap out of all eligible route-running positions. But in Week 2, Kupp caught the first touchdown pass of the game after running his route out of the backfield — something the Rams had only worked on in closed practices or in the earliest days of training camp. Kupp was so intentional about wanting to keep those plays a secret that he made sure there were no photos of those reps shared on his or team social media pages.

Kupp also threw a nasty stiff-arm against cornerback Kenny Moore II during the game to pick up some yards after a catch. Offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell blew up a photo of the play, and it’s currently hanging on the wall in receivers coach Eric Yarber’s office.

Kupp: Just a little choice route, option route I had run. Wasn’t a huge play, but one of the few plays I think this year where I got a little excited. Showed a little bit of emotion. Kev got a bunch of the coaches photos for their offices. … I remember after that game, Kev came up to me and for whatever reason, he was very excited about the anger he saw in my face, apparently.

O’Connell: He’s probably one of the best yards-after-catch receivers, making people miss after contact. But it’s not always making them miss, sometimes it’s just running through contact with the ball in his hand.

There was some anger in that stiff-arm that we’ve got freeze-framed now. Even when he looks at (himself) now, he doesn’t really know what guy he’s looking at.

Over the past two seasons, O’Connell became a big part of Kupp’s daily routine. He and Stafford huddle together on the field with Kupp after every practice — the two players’ sweat dripping into the grass even while others hit the showers — and talk through the concepts and techniques presented in that day’s work. Quarterback reps are used efficiently through the course of a week to prevent unnecessary wear and tear, so O’Connell, a former journeyman NFL quarterback, gets Kupp his extra passes.

O’Connell: Every single day after practice, I still throw him 15 balls as a part of his routine. He’s locked in on getting better every single moment of every single day. Sundays are easy for him because his preparation is what it is.

Kupp has been that way for as long as his coaches can remember. Oregon wide receivers coach/co-offensive coordinator Junior Adams, who coached Kupp in college and still texts with him about technique on a weekly basis, said that Kupp commandeered a tennis ball machine during his years at Eastern Washington to manufacture extra reps.

Adams: And we had these racquetball courts. And I walk out there one night, and he had figured out how to shoot the (tennis ball) off the ground to where it hit the ground, then the wall and shot up in the air to where it was like an over-the-shoulder deep route. There would be times I’d walk in the locker room, and he’d be in there with the tennis ball machinein the locker room,by himself. Eight, nine o’clock at night. Just catching tennis balls.

Week 3, Rams vs Bucs; 9 catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns

The Rams went up 28-14 against Tampa Bay when Stafford threw an 8-yard pass to Kupp off a variation of the flat china route that Kupp has been running for years.

Kupp approached McVay and Stafford with a twist to the route: He’d break back toward the sideline on the triple-move route after setting up the defender on the original concept. The Rams call it “Ocho” or “The Ocho” (Omaha china out). After making the catch, Kupp lowered his shoulder to pick up the two extra yards needed to score. The play went viral, in part because McVay mentioned a day later that creating and running it was Kupp’s idea.

McVay: That (route) was definitely a player thing that those guys came up with. I can’t take credit … I said, “Shoot, that seems like a pretty good idea. Let’s do it.” When you’ve got great players like him, you’re going to listen to them. And he’s got very educated understanding when he makes suggestions of what it’s going (to do, and) why he likes it. He solves some of the problems no different than when a coach that’s responsible for game planning

Kupp: I was glad we were able to get one of those out there and get into the end zone. I got a pretty hard time because in the Chicago game, I got a choice route but got tackled on the two-inch line. So the big point of contention was getting into the end zone on that one — and I just about ended up short on that one, as well …

One of the best things about being on good teams is the trust that people have in each other. And for Sean to trust that we were going to be able to make that play come to life, and to call it in that situation, I think that’s a testament to the constant growth we have had together as a team, to be able to spend as much time together as we have and to be able to show each other over and over again that we can rely on each other — that it’s not always going to be perfect, but we can trust that we’re going to do the best we possibly can to make things work. … That’s a great example of the manifestation of that trust.”

Can watch @CooperKupp run routes all day. #RamsHouse

📺: #TBvsLAR on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/5ynCTP16lM

— NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2021

Weeks 4-8, Rams vs. Cardinals, at Seahawks, at Giants, vs. Detroit, at Houston; 38 catches for 557 yards and five touchdowns

One of McVay’s favorite blocks by Kupp this season wasn’t exactly game-planned, on a passing play to Woods en route to a 26-17 win in Week 5 at Seattle.

Kupp: We knew where the ball was going on it, kind of a secondary thing — hey, you guys are going to seal this play over here, but the ball is going away. So I talked with Tyler (Higbee), and I said, “Hey, on this play I’m gonna act like I’m a tight end and we’re gonna combination-block up this linebacker.” He was like, “Yeah, sure. Let’s do it, just for fun.”

Some people in the building joke that McVay’s preferred 11 personnel sets are at times really “11.5 personnel”, because he has plays for Kupp that use him like a tight end running out of 12 personnel — except, of course, Kupp is a receiver, and not a tight end.

Just like the Rams added “Ocho” in the passing game ahead of Week 3, Kupp’s idea for a blocking design — in the middle of a game — became a part of the Rams offense moving forward. Tight ends coach Wes Phillips excitedly highlighted the play in film study the week after the game, but McVay didn’t need much convincing.

McVay: (Kupp is) an extension of the coaching staff — the time that he puts in, the questions he asks, the details. He’s as thoughtful as it gets and has (the) greatest ownership of any player that I’ve been around in terms of everything that’s going on from an offensive and a defensive just structure standpoint. He wants to know what’s going on with the game and totality. He’s always around. He’s always asking great questions. He has such good insight and he’s one of those guys (who) keeps you accountable as a coach, because you want to make sure you have answers for him.

Adams: The cool thing about what he’s doing, to me, is I’ve noticed he’s playing the quarterback position from the wide receiver position. He’s always had that. You can see he’s always talking, pointing to things, he’s lining up correctly, he knows what the defense is about to give him and his eyes are correct. He knows what he’s seeing; he’s seeing things happen before they happen.

The Rams went on to blow out the Giants on the road, but started slow in the first quarter before putting up 28 points in the second quarter. McVay wanted more than that, after an interception by rookie cornerback Robert Rochell got the Rams the ball back with 25 seconds left in the half. Stafford threw deep on second down to Kupp, but the ball uncharacteristically tipped out of Kupp’s hands.

Kupp: I drop a pass that ends up getting intercepted. We’re running off the field and out of the corner of my eye, I see Sean spike his headset so hard that there’s no chance that it survived. Had to have gotten a different one coming out of the half. First thing I said to him coming out of halftime as he’s strapping that thing back on while on the sideline was, “Hey, that thing, uh, is that thing still working?”

Weeks 9-12, vs. Titans, at 49ers, bye week, at Packers; 29 catches for 313 yards and no touchdowns

November was tumultuous for the Rams, and for Kupp, in many ways. They lost Woods to a torn ACL a day after agreeing to terms with star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and lost three games in a row.

Kupp struggled to keep his composure when speaking at the podium the day the news about Woods — one of his best friends, and his partner in the Rams offense — broke.

Kupp (at the podium): You play this game with a sense of freedom; you try to play this game as free as possible. You just take what God gave you, the passions he gave you, and just do your best to accentuate those and let it all hang out on the field because at the end of the day, you just don’t know what’s going to happen out there. I’m sick for Rob. But he played the game that way … he played free. He played hard. He left everything on the field. If something like this is going to happen, you want to be under those circ*mstances, where you’re going.

Minus Woods, rookie receiver Ben Skowronek started to get fast-tracked into the offensive fold along with Beckham. Kupp began holding after-hours “office” sessions in a small workspace at the Rams’ facilities to go over extra film with Skowronek.

Morris: All the catches, I know you guys have seen. I know you’ve seen all the routes. The most impressive thing to me about Cooper Kupp is when I come into the building and he’s in his own little office, his own meetings. Sometimes he’s with the quarterbacks, sometimes he’s alone, sometimes he’s with Skowronek. But the man works constantly.

Weeks 13-14, vs. Jaguars, at Cardinals; 21 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns

The Rams repurposed their run game in early December, in part to snap a three-game losing streak, to better align with Sony Michel’s running style and more efficient use of their healthy personnel. Against the Jaguars, they deployed out of extra-tackle and extra-tight end sets with exponentially more frequency than they had in weeks prior. Michel had 121 yards against Jacksonville, which was the first time a running back crossed the 100-yard mark for the Rams in 2021.

Kupp averaged 16.1 yards on eight catches and had a touchdown against the Jaguars. Against Arizona the following week, Kupp recorded a career-high 13 catches. Yet perhaps more notable in the Rams’ schematic shift was Kupp’s effort as a blocker in springing Michel loose for a couple of big runs that brought a needed dimensionality back to the offense.

Michel: Besides the media talk and the numbers of him being the No. 1 receiver, he actually is about that life when it comes to honing in on your craft, being selfless and doing it for his teammates. The first time that I practiced, seeing how important the blocking aspect is to him. … I’d never been around a group of receivers that go in and try to take people off the map.

After the Rams beat the Jaguars, the rest of the world got a glimpse at how Kupp’s football mind works. He went viral for a postgame interview with NFL Network that explained in precise detail — and in just 15 seconds — how he scored a 29-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Kupp (in the interview): Yeah, it was a little three-deep fire zone (and) they brought the nickel off the edge, safety dropped down. They didn’t look like they were doing a replacement fire zone, so I knew with the back away, we were gonna get three pushing through. Then I had an opportunity to kind of run in there, if I could beat my guy then I just had to beat my safety to the end zone.

McVay (the next day): He is amazing. He’s got such an understanding of what’s going on. … You want to talk about a smart player? That guy is unbelievable. (His explanation of the play) just made me smile. He’s a stud.

Adams: That Saturday (before the game), I wake up at like 7 a.m. … I get a text from him and it’s like, “Hey Coach, I’m working on this release! What do you think about this release?” We get into the release, why we use it, how something can come off of it/ … I’m thinking to myself, “Dude, it’s like 7:30 in the morning, it’s a Saturday, and you’ve got a game tomorrow. I’m about to catch a flight to come out there (Adams was a guest of Kupp’s in Week 13), and you’re still in total football mode.” That’s just him.

Week 15, vs. Seahawks; 9 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns

Kupp set the Rams’ single-season receptions record with a 6-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, his 122nd catch of the year.

Stafford also hit Kupp for the go-ahead score late in the game, Kupp’s second touchdown. It was a play they had barely gotten to test out against the scout team — in the days prior, the Rams went into enhanced protocol because of a 30-person COVID-19 outbreak that also prompted the NFL to move the game to Tuesday.

Stafford: We repped that play in practice actually only in a walk-through setting. We didn’t have a chance to rep it full-speed. And the middle linebacker in our walk-through really matched him hard, the nickel ended up matching Van (Jefferson) at the two-spot, and the play just was a little hairy there for a second. I was talking to him about it and said, “Hey, if the mike matches to you hard, make sure you slip inside. I think there’s going to be an opportunity to beat the weak hook player before we get there.” We were talking about it, the route and how it might look.

Sure enough, we run the play in the Seattle game and it turns out the exact same way. Bobby Wagner relates to him really hard, Coop does a great job of slipping inside and we hit him before No. 56 (linebacker Jordyn Brooks) can make it over from the back side. That was fun for both of us to have the conversation on the field that it might happen that way, and then all of the sudden it pops up as a touchdown. I think I’m head-butting him after, saying, “Hey, just like we thought.”

Weeks 16-18, at Vikings, at Ravens, vs. 49ers; 23 catches, 322 yards and two touchdowns

As the Rams wrapped up a two-game road trip (their fourth and fifth consecutive wins since Week 13), it became clear that Kupp was about to secure the Triple Crown — and in doing so, join a legacy only enjoyed by four players, including Kupp, since the NFL’s Super Bowl era began (Jerry Rice, Sterling Sharpe, Steve Smith Sr.).

"The guy's cup is always running full. Congratulations, @CooperKupp."

👑👑👑 Special messages from Steve Smith Sr. + Sterling Sharpe pic.twitter.com/EYXuYuSke0

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 11, 2022

McVay: I really think I’ve been impressed with just the way he’s handled this entire season. Selflessness is on full display. He’s already really rewritten a lot of the record books, and he’s etched himself into the history of this game with what he’s done.

Whitworth: You look at all these yards, all the success he has had — and what’s crazy is that doesn’t even remotely tell the picture of what he does for us. … It’s pretty crazy to think about how important he is to the offense, and what all he does for us.

Adams: It’s been pretty cool to see him on this run. I’m not surprised. I’m really not surprised. This is about par for Cooper Kupp, to be honest with you.

Yet Kupp maintained his own opinions about where he stands in history, in speaking with reporters ahead of the Rams’ 18th and final regular-season game. In Week 17 at Baltimore, his 95 yards placed him first in franchise history in single-season receiving yards (breaking Isaac Bruce’s 1995 record). Kupp fell just short of the all-time single-season yards leader, Calvin Johnson, in 16 games and decided he wanted to leave the conversation there (Kupp ultimately finished second in single-season receiving yards with 1,947 — 17 yards shy of Johnson’s record — through 17 games).

Kupp: In all honesty, in my opinion, we’re in a very unique season — the longest football season ever played. What the guys did that set those records … in 16 games, it wouldn’t seem right for those to be broken in 17 games. It wouldn’t hold the same weight to me as it does for guys who did that in a 16-game season.

Wild-card game vs. Cardinals, divisional round at Buccaneers; 14 catches for 244 yards and two touchdowns

In front of a hostile, screaming crowd in the Divisional Round last week, Stafford called for the snap with 28 seconds left on the clock — the game tied at 27 after a 24-point Buccaneers comeback in the second half.

Stafford dropped back and saw an all-out blitz bearing down on him, plus defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh hurtling up the A-gap. He saw Kupp had a step on his defender; Kupp couldn’t see the blitz but felt a lack of presence on the top shelf of the defense (because they were all blitzing or covering) so he knew to flip his head around.

Stafford: He did a great job of just putting his head down and digging. … I’m sure he wasn’t thinking he was getting the rock before the play, either.

Kupp: It felt like (the pass) hung up there forever. One of those ones where all you can do is dig, dig for your route. I looked up for the ball, and hoped that it was floating up there …

The ball dropped into Kupp’s arms and he clutched it to his chest as he hit the ground. Seconds later, kicker Matt Gay made his 30-yard field goal to send the Rams to the NFC Championship Game.

Postgame, Kupp was bleary-eyed from exhaustion, but grinning. He explained what happened on that final play — a ball that was never supposed to come his way, until it did, on a route where he’s not supposed to be the hero but instead offers himself up as a decoy to draw coverage away from the underneath concepts.

Kupp: We call (it) the “For The Love of the Game” route.

(Illustration: Wes McCabe / The Athletic; photo: Katelyn Mucahy / Getty Images)