The Los Angeles Rams dismantled the Minnesota Vikings in Monday’s Wild Card Round clash. In a dominating performance that saw the Rams go 24-3 by the end of the first half, Cooper Kupp’s involvement seemed a bit too little.
While the Rams did whatever they wanted most of the time during the game, the Rams WR was the odd one out. The Rams are gearing up for the Divisional Round fixture against the Philadelphia Eagles. Will we see a similar story for Kupp?
Let’s examine what’s not working out for Kupp, his recent struggles, and potential undisclosed injury ahead of the game vs. the Eagles.
What Happened to Cooper Kupp?
The Rams progressed to the Divisional Round with a 27-9 win over the Vikings in their first game of the 2024 NFL playoffs. Matthew Stafford completed 19 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
However, despite Stafford’s success and the Rams’ big win, Kupp only recorded one reception for 29 yards.
Leading up to the game, Kupp wasn’t on the Rams’ injury report so it doesn’t appear he’s dealing with any kind of injury — he just wasn’t involved at all throughout the matchup.
After a strong start to the season, Kupp has been largely invisible in recent weeks. He sat out Week 18 against the Seattle Seahawks, but in the previous three games, he totaled four receptions for 53 yards and no touchdowns.
Against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17, he caught just one pass for 29 yards. The previous week versus the New York Jets, Kupp had three receptions for 24 yards. In Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers, he was held without a catch.
Not only is Kupp struggling to catch many passes, but Stafford isn’t even looking his way lately. At halftime against Minnesota, he had not been targeted.
Across his first nine games of the season, Kupp averaged 10.1 targets per game. Over the past three games, he earned just 3.0 targets per game. Meanwhile, Nacua was targeted 31 times from Weeks 15-17, catching 25 passes for 282 yards over that three-game stretch.
The Cooper Kupp fall-off needs to be investigated.
Makes ZERO sense.
What did he do to make Stafford not look his way anymore?
Is Kupp dealing with an undisclosed injury?
— PPRFantasyTips (@PPRFantasyTips) January 14, 2025
Many fans and bettors were frustrated by Kupp’s disappearing act and wondered if he was dealing with some undisclosed injury impacting his performance. Meanwhile, others wondered if he just doesn’t have much left in the tank, as he is nearing 32 years old (will be 32 on June 15, 2025).
Kupp finished the regular season with 67 receptions for 710 yards and six touchdowns, but the bulk of his production occurred earlier in the season. It remains to be seen if Kupp will get more involved during the Rams’ postseason run.
Considering his age, his injury record, and the hefty sum of money he makes, the Rams might consider trading him off for some draft picks in the offseason. Everything takes the backseat as the Rams take on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, Jan. 19.