This is what the Los Angeles Rams had in mind when they mortgaged future draft picks for Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller and, of course, Matthew Stafford. The franchise is currently one win away from its second-ever Super Bowl title and first on the West Coast.
It’s an impressive rise for a team reduced to starting John Wolford in a playoff game a year earlier. The Rams opened as a 4.5-point favorite, per Tipico Sportsbook, for a a Super Bowl 56 showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals that will take place at their home field in Inglewood, CA.
Los Angeles’ all-in approach was prosperous, but it won’t matter if the only banner raised at SoFi Stadium is merely a conference title. The Rams have to derail a Bengals team that’s punched above its weight class to unseat the Chiefs and claim the AFC side of the biggest game of the season. Cincinnati won’t be swayed by a big moment or being an underdog on the road against a dynamite passing offense. LA coach Sean McVay is going to have to devise his best gameplan of the season to handle them.
The Rams hired Sean McVay to be their head coach in 2017, and that’s worked out pretty well so far. McVay has a regular-season record of 55-26, and anytime you’re riding with a .679 winning percentage, that’s more than acceptable.
Now, McVay has the opportunity to do the one thing that separates good coaches from great — win a Super Bowl. This is McVay’s second chance in four seasons; his Rams fell short to Bill Belichick’s Patriots in Super Boal LIII, and McVay has admitted since that he was overwhelmed by the moment and the opponent.
“I think it was a blessing to be in that game,” he said this week, reflecting on what has changed. “Certainly, you don’t forget about it. You want to be able to do better. But I don’t think you press when you do get another opportunity to be in this moment and this stage again. I think you look at it as a blessing, you take some of those learning lessons, you apply them, and let’s go cut it loose and play to the best of our ability, and I’ll coach to the best of my ability with our coaches, as well.”
Now, McVay is the veteran head coach in this game. He’s got Matthew Stafford instead of Jared Goff. He’s got Super Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. He’s got Aaron Donald, Destroyer of Worlds, and he’s got Jalen Ramsey. He’s also got the fact that Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was on McVay’s staff in 2017 and 2018 as the Rams’ assistant receivers coach and quarterbacks coach.
The moment is primed for Sean McVay to get that Lombardi Trophy. Here are three things the Rams will have to do for that to happen.
Looking at Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp’s Super Bowl prop bets, with 2022 Super Bowl odds, picks and predictions.
Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp turned in one of the best seasons we’ve ever seen by a wide receiver, putting up incredible numbers in his first year with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback.
During the regular season, Kupp caught 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, leading the league in all three categories.
He’s continued to dominate in the postseason, too, catching 25 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns in only three games. He’s the first player in NFL history with 2,000-plus receiving yards in a single season, including the playoffs, and has scored 20 total touchdowns.
This is Kupp’s first Super Bowl appearance after missing the Rams’ last trip three years ago due to a knee injury, and he’s become more important than ever to Los Angeles’ offense. His connection with Stafford has been strong from the start, combining for at least 92 yards in all but two of his 20 games played this season.
Kupp has had at least nine receptions in each of his last two games, but in the three games prior to that, he never topped seven catches. This is a steep number, even for a guy who’s caught 170 passes in his 20 games this season, including the playoffs.
I’m happy to bet his yardage total because he’s typically good for a player or two of at least 25 yards, but with the Rams likely to run the ball a fair amount and WR Odell Beckham Jr. eating into Kupp’s targets, I’ll take the UNDER 8.5 (-125) here.
At first glance, this is a lofty number. Betting any player to go over 100 yards receiving in a game is difficult, and yet Kupp’s number comes in at 107.5. When you look at his stats this season, you’ll realize just how reliable he’s been when betting the Over on his yardage total. In the 20 games he’s played, Kupp has had at least 108 yards receiving 13 times.
The Bengals allowed the seventh-most passing yards in the NFL and were 15th in yards allowed to wide receivers this season. Kansas City WR Tyreek Hill had seven catches for 78 yards against the Bengals in the AFC title game, all of which came in the first half.
I would bet OVER 107.5 (-114) on Kupp’s yardage total because unless the Rams go run-heavy all night, he’s going to get plenty of opportunities to catch passes.
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Anytime touchdown (-180)
Another preposterous line on the surface: -180 for Kupp to score a touchdown? There isn’t much upside with this wager, but Kupp is good for at least one score 70% of the time, finding the end zone in 14 of his 20 games.
If you like the Rams to win, there’s an even greater reason to bet Kupp to score a touchdown. When he finds the end zone, the Rams are 13-1. They’re 2-4 when he doesn’t.
I would rather make a bet on Kupp to score two-plus touchdowns if you can find that line, but I still feel comfortable betting on him to SCORE A TD for -180.
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Wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Cooper Kupp were teammates at Eastern Washington from 2013-2016. During that time, Kupp knew that Bourne was going to turn into something special.
Bourne served as the No. 2 receiver at Eastern Washington, as both he and Kupp provided a dynamic duo for school. In three years, Bourne recorded 204 catches for 3,013 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Kupp was able to put up better numbers, including a 2016 season that’s saw him record 117 catches for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Despite his own success, Kupp was convinced that Bourne was going to be something special. Speaking at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday, Kupp talked about what he saw in Bourne that made him confident in his assessment, as transcribed by NESN’s Zack Cox.
“I remember watching Kendrick’s film after my first year (at EWU),” Kupp recalled Monday during Super Bowl Opening Night. “Our receiver coach said, ‘We’ve got this guy coming in, we think we really like him. Check his film out.’ So I watched him, and I was blown away by just how great of a route-runner he was, how strong he was after the catch, had the twitch. He had so many things about his game that I think are very impressive. He continued to grow, too. He ended up (playing) as a (true) freshman and just continued to get better and better, year after year.
“A little inside scoop, I guess, on Kendrick is before our last year together, I actually sat down with him, and I told him straight up, ‘You are a better receiver than I am.’ And if he was able to get some things in order, he was going to just take off. And I think he really did just that.”
Kupp had a year of historic proportions in 2021. He recorded 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Although his numbers were not as productive, Bourne enjoyed a career year in his own right. He caught 55 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed the ball a little bit, recording 12 carries for 125 yards — while throwing a touchdown pass as well.
As both receivers look to go to new heights, it is fascinating to hear about where their careers began to really take off.
Three questions that will need to be answered when the Rams have the football during Super Bowl LVI.
Super Bowl week is fully upon us. Super Bowl “Opening Night” is in the rear-view mirror, the Cincinnati Bengals held their send off rally at Paul Brown Stadium complete with tight end C.J. Uzomah taking off a knee brace to the delight of fans, and now the team is on the ground in Los Angeles getting ready to take on the Los Angeles Rams.
Let the over-analysis begin.
By the time the week ends, analysts like myself will have talked ourselves into believing that a little-used reserve tight end could be the key to football immortality for either team.
And that right there is what makes the two week buildup to the Super Bowl so much fun.
When the Rams have the football during Super Bowl LVI, here are three things to watch for as they take on the Cincinnati Bengals defense.
Every time the NFL’s leading receiver reached the Super Bowl, his team won it. That bodes well for Cooper Kupp and the Rams.
There’s a common belief in the NFL that wide receivers don’t win championships – and for the most part, it’s true. They can help a team win the Super Bowl, but they’re nowhere near as valuable as quarterbacks, offensive linemen or even pass rushers.
Cooper Kupp might be the exception to the rule. And if history is any indication of how Super Bowl LVI will go, the Rams will be crowned champions of the football world on Sunday night.
According to NFL Research, Kupp is just the third player to reach the Super Bowl after leading the NFL in receiving yards. Jerry Rice did it twice and Drew Pearson did it once.
In the three prior instances, the team with the leading receiver won the game. Kupp and the Rams will try to make it 4-for-4 this weekend.
.@CooperKupp is the 3rd player (4th instance) to reach the Super Bowl after leading the NFL in receiving yards
In every other instance (@JerryRice in SBs XXIV & XXIX and Drew Pearson in XB XII) the receiving yards leader won the game@RamsNFL | #SuperBowlLVI
Kupp not only led the NFL with 1,947 yards, but he also had the most receptions (145) and touchdown catches (16) this season. He fell just 18 yards short of breaking Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving record, coincidentally making a run at it with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback – just as Stafford was during Megatron’s historic campaign.
Kupp’s production didn’t slow down after the regular season ended, either. Even though he only had 61 yards against the Cardinals, he erupted for 183 yards in the divisional round and another 142 yards in the NFC title game against the 49ers.
In three playoff games, he has 25 catches, 386 yards and four touchdowns, leading all receivers in catches and yards again; Gabriel Davis had five touchdowns this postseason.
The Rams will need Kupp to keep up that steady production against the Bengals and if he does, they’ll likely be Super Bowl champions.
There will be several fascinating matchups in Super Bowl LVI, but the one between Rams (primary slot) receiver Cooper Kupp and Cincinnati Bengals (primary slot) defensive back Mike Hilton will be one of the most important.
There are many things that set Kupp apart from his competition. He prides himself on his quickness and route running techniques. Despite running a 4.6 — 40 time coming out of college, his quickness out of his release and into his break is what his opponents have a hard time defending. Kupp is playing at the top of his game right now currently holding the triple crown for receivers — first in receptions, yards and touchdowns.
When we look at the Bengals’ defense as a whole, they have done a pretty good job locking down number one receivers this season. They held Justin Jefferson to only 5 receptions for 71 yards and 0 touchdowns. Keenan Allen had 5 receptions for 34 yards. In their last matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, Tyreek Hill only went for 78 total yards, and 40 yards in week 17. The Bengals aren’t allowing 100+ yard reception games from any single receiver very often.
Hilton brings a different kind of toughness as a nickel corner, similar to Jalen Ramsey’s physicality where he can blitz, penetrate through blockers, drop into zone coverage but he performs his best when one-on-one shadowing receivers across the field using his 4.5 speed.
(Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports)
Hilton has lined up on 83% of his snaps in the slot/nickel spot, and when we look at Kupp, he has been in the slot 63% of the time. So, it will be unlikely that Hilton will follow Kupp around the field, but when they are matched up in the slot expect a press coverage defense.
This isn’t the first time these two lined up across from each other. Back in 2019, when Hilton was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, these two faced off and the Steelers came out on top,12-17.
The most impressive part was how Hilton locked Kupp down, allowing no receptions on four targets.
Went back to 2019 to check out Mike Hilton vs Cooper Kupp when Hilton was still on the Steelers. It was often where the Steelers just let Hilton take on Kupp 1-on-1. We may see a similar gameplan in the Super Bowl.
The 2019 tape showed a lot of press coverage, where Hilton lined up right on the line of scrimmage across from Kupp.
Hilton is either in hard-press coverage, putting his hands on him disrupting his release, or in soft press, letting Kupp get off the line of scrimmage but staying hip-to-hip preventing separation throughout his route. In both coverages, it’s physical.
When the Bengals are in man coverage, expect them to leave Hilton on Kupp one-on-one until he reaches the top of his rout,, that is when the safety will come down to help prevent additional yards after catch.
We saw a similar game plan from the Bengals in the AFC Championship game against Tyreek Hill, who obviously brings a rare speed element to his slot opportunities..
In order to stop these speedsters, the defense must bracket them at the top of their route. This is still one-on-one, but with help over the top.
Hilton lines up with outside shade forcing him inside, funneling him into his help over the top.
This shade allows Hilton to break towards the ball if the play goes underneath, or he can trail his original man using his speed to catch up to maintain his leverage.
Earlier in the season, Hilton faced off against Las Vegas Raiders slot receiver Hunter Renfrow.
Hilton is lined up with the same outside shade forcing Renfrow into his safety but as he breaks outside the two are left one-on-one and Hilton uses his speed to catch up preventing the completion. Renfrow only totaled 58 yards on the day.
It’s important for any defender to line up with the outside shade in press against Kupp. He is a master at his craft and if you play off coverage, giving him room to juke you, he will do just that.
There will be times throughout the game where Hilton won’t have any help at all over the top. For instance, if Kupp is going to the outside, we may see them go at it mano a mano.
Back in 2019, we saw Kupp attempt to get outside and when Hilton attempted to stop him, it ended in a defensive pass interference penalty.
Expect the matchup to be physical if Kupp is forcing his way to the outside.
If the Rams want to isolate Kupp with Hilton, expect them to move some receivers around pre-snap.
If the Rams come out in trips, and Kupp is lined up in the middle, the Rams may motion the inside slot receiver to the other side of the field, taking away the help for Hilton. Here, the safety may be helping the outside cornerback). This is similar to a situation the Bengals saw against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
On this play, Hilton is lined up directly in front of Byron Pringle. There is no shade or leverage in any direction, this gives Hilton a fair chance to keep up with the receiver no matter where he decides to cut. As Pringle is running a deep crosser behind the backside linebacker, Hilton uses his closing speed and physical defense at the catch to break up the pass.
When Hilton is playing off-coverage or has to catch up at the top of the receiver’s route, expect some physicality and a jersey grab making it tough for the receivers to secure the catch.
If the referees are allowing these guys to play on Sunday, expect Hilton to have a good day.
What makes Hilton one of the NFL’s best slot corners is his ability to tackle. Kupp is known for being one of the best run blockers at his position, so not only will we see them face-off during the pass, but also when the Bengals are defending the run.
This is where Hilton does his best work. In both clips above, Hilton sheds his blocker to make a play on the back.
With Hilton winning their first matchup in 2019, expect Kupp to want revenge. Over the last two years Kupp has transformed into one of, or arguably the best receiver in the NFL, but he was still dominant in 2019,.
Now with Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball, expect a better outcome for Kupp than his performance back in 2019, but that also means even more physicality (and more shutdown opportunities) from Hilton.
He who wins these battles might be in the lead for the next Lombardi Trophy.
The Cincinnati Bengals have a ton of connections with the Los Angeles Rams ahead of Super Bowl LVI.
There’s Andrew Whitworth playing for the Rams. Zac Taylor worked under Sean McVay.
And then there’s Taylor’s connection with Rams players he used to coach, such as MVP contender Cooper Kupp.
Taylor recently revealed that Kupp would go out of his way to text him overnight about film concepts, via the Bengals’ team site.:
“Coop’s a big-picture thinker. So he really understands the structure of the defenses, the nuances of the route running. He cares about the run game as well. There’s oftentimes he would screenshot pictures of defenses with run thoughts. You would wake up the next morning to a midnight text from Cooper Kupp with thoughts on things that could help the offense.”
That was back when Kupp was a rookie — fast forward to now, he’s the guy who put up 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. He’s one of the big keys to the Bengals getting a win, and on paper, Taylor should be the guy to have some critical insight into slowing him.
And if we had to guess, some of the things Taylor has to say about Kupp could be applicable to his rookie breakout receiver, Ja’Marr Chase.
There’s a famous Pablo Picasso quote about what it means to make quality art. The expressionist and surrealist known for capturing hearts and helping provide the foundation for the 20th century’s modern art movements was never full of himself. The humbled Spaniard turned adopted Frenchmen understood where he came from, and how he attained his success. There was never mincing any words about his career.
“Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”
Debate reigns as to whether Piccasso ever said these words, in this specific order, but then again, that’s the point! The best work, in any field, is a blob of an amalgamation of the previous great works of others. Whether you believe in the “End of History” or not, and, in turn, modern culture settling into its final resting place of stasis, it doesn’t change that there is no truly original idea anywhere.
How could there be?
Everyone is influenced by something in their life that happened to resonate. Everyone has a hero or heroine who they saw as a role model for the creative life they wanted to live. To create a work of art, any work that is entirely out of the blue, would mean you’ve never read anyone else’s words; never watched their movies or programs or plays; never played their games; never heard the earnest opinion of another person. The moment you were exposed to outside stimuli, it would have an eventual effect on your own output.
A virtual impossibility in the past, if you were a somewhat social person that didn’t live under a rock anyway, but especially in the technological, always-connected virtual scape of 2022.
Steal and you win. Borrow and you apologize. There’s no in-between.
Now comes the fun part: We soon learn which general managers and coaches are the truly great artists of their football craft. It’s time to separate the mere, tepid borrowers from the NFL’s den of thieves and their stolen ingenuity.
Cooper Kupp has only gone over 200 yards once in his career, and it came against the Bengals in 2019.
Cooper Kupp has had a lot of great performances over the course of his five-year career, with one of his best coming in the divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he had nine catches for 183 yards and a touchdown in the Los Angeles Rams’ win. But he’s never had more yards than he did in Week 8 of the 2019 season when he caught seven passes for 220 yards and a touchdown, averaging a whopping 31.4 yards per catch – by far the highest of his career.
It was Kupp’s only game against the Bengals in five NFL seasons, but he made it count. He torched Cincinnati for three straight quarters before the Rams took their foot off the gas in the fourth, cruising to a 24-10 win in London.
It wasn’t as if Kupp had one or two big plays that inflated his yardage total, either. Here’s a breakdown of his 10 targets in that game.
21-yard gain
25-yard gain
31-yard gain
23-yard gain
65-yard touchdown
Incomplete
15-yard gain
Incomplete
40-yard gain
Incomplete
Kupp’s overall grade from Pro Football Focus in that game was a career-best 91.1, higher than any game he’s played this season. He forced one missed tackle, didn’t have a single drop and gained 124 yards after the catch, doing most of his damage with the ball in his hands.
If you don’t remember that game – it was more than two years ago, after all – refresh your memory with highlights from Kupp’s performance below.
This is obviously a very different Bengals defense now, but one player who still remains is Jessie Bates III at safety. Kupp did so much of his damage over the middle in that game, erasing angles taken by the talented safety in the open field.
Expect the Rams to attack the middle of the field once again in the Super Bowl, utilizing Kupp on digs, slants and crossing routes that put the centerfield safety in a bind. Cincinnati’s secondary is much improved compared to that 2019 game, but so is Kupp.
