Cooper Kupp put together arguably the greatest season in Rams history, catching 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He set franchise records for receptions and receiving yards, topping marks previously held by Isaac Bruce.
Even though he played one more game thanks to the NFL’s 18-week regular season, Kupp’s campaign was one of the record books. Bruce paid close attention to his performance and the Rams’ season as a whole, so he’s well aware of just how dominant Kupp was.
During an appearance on the Jim Rome Show, Bruce broke down what makes Kupp special, praising the mental aspect of his game and his ability to see the field like a quarterback.
“I always say once a guy has it – what I mean by that is, for a wide receiver to have it, that means he now has quarterback eyes,” Bruce said. “So he can read a defense, he can go pre-snap, he can manipulate. He’s faster than what people give him credit for. He’s very elusive and I just think he’s really strong in catching the football. He catches it in a crowd and he plays at two speeds. That’s one of the things that Torry (Holt) and myself, we always tried to make sure we were doing. It’s kind of like making the defensive back think that we’re running full speed but we’re really not and then once the ball gets in our hands, we’re able to turn it on and he does that perfectly.”
Kupp was outstanding in the regular season, and his stellar play has continued in the playoffs, too. He caught nine passes for 183 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers in the divisional round on Sunday, bringing his postseason average up to 122 yards per game with 14 total receptions this year.
After missing the playoffs in 2018 and being forced to sit out last year’s loss to the Packers in the second round due to injury, Kupp is showing just how valuable he is to the Rams this postseason.