Cooper Kupp wasn’t satisfied with the way the offense played against the Giants.
After two weeks of flying back and forth from coast to coast for two straight road games, the Rams were back home on Sunday at SoFi Stadium against the winless Giants. It was supposed to be an easy win based on the 13.5-point spread, however, it was anything but that.
The Rams escaped with a 17-9 victory in a game that came down to the wire, failing to perform up to standards – particularly on offense where the running game was having a ton of success prior to Week 4.
Cooper Kupp’s clutch 55-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter gave the Rams the cushion they needed to come away victorious, putting them up by eight with less than seven minutes left to play. He’ll take the win, but he said on Twitter after the game that the Rams have “so much to improve on.”
Always take the W, but so much to improve on. Week 5 let’s get it!
In his postgame press conference, he shared his thoughts on the performance, saying it left a “bad taste in our mouth” on offense.
“Obviously, we’d like to be 4-0, but we obviously feel good about being 3-1. By no means are we going to undersell the fact that we walked off this field with a W, but at the same time kind of a bad taste in our mouth just in terms of an offense in terms of how we executed today,” he said. “The good thing is I’m very excited to get back in the building and watch the film and learn from it. I know because of the guys that we have, the coaches that we have, there’s going to be no shortage of improvement made from being able to watch this film and it’s great that we’re able to do this coming off the field with a W and not a loss. There’s something to be said about getting the job done, but by no means is this the standards we have for ourselves.”
Up next, the Rams have the Washington Football Team. That game will require another East Coast road trip, their third in four weeks. All this travel has to be weighing on Los Angeles, but Sean McVay’s squad won’t make excuses.
As big favorites once again this week, the Rams should come away with a win in Week 5 against a struggling Washington team.
This completely changed the momentum of the game, giving the Rams an 8-point lead.
When the Rams needed a big play most, Jared Goff and Cooper Kupp delivered. On a critical third-and-3 from their own 45-yard line, Goff hit Kupp over the top of the linebackers for a game-changing 55-yard touchdown.
It was a perfectly run route and a great throw by Goff, leading Kupp upfield. Kupp did the rest to get all the way to the end zone, putting the Rams up 17-9.
Up to that point, the Rams offense did very little to move the ball against a subpar Giants defense, but this touchdown completely changed the momentum for L.A. and gave Sean McVay’s team a nice cushion.
What We Learned, Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams, NFL Week 3.
If the Buffalo Bills continue on this pace, their fans are going to need defibrillators to get through the rest of the season.
For the second week in a row, the Bills won a wild, high-scoring game that required fourth quarter heroics from quarterback Josh Allen. This one was a little different from last week’s 31-28 victory against the Dolphins, a game which was close throughout. On Sunday, the Bills nearly went down to defeat due to the biggest blown lead in franchise history. After giving up four straight touchdown drives and a 28-3 lead to the Rams, Allen and the Bills rallied on their final drive. Aided by a pass interference penalty on fourth down, Buffalo found the end zone for the victory as Allen hit Tyler Kroft for a three-yard touchdown with 15 seconds remaining to secure a 35-32 win at Bills Stadium.
The big picture is that the Bills are 3-0 and remain in first place in the AFC East. But there are several cracks in the foundation of their first-place start that the team will have to correct as they depart for back-to-back AFC road games against the Raiders and Titans.
The wheels completely came off the Buffalo defense in the second half between the 6:55 mark of the third quarter and the 10:30 mark of the fourth frame. The Bills surrendered 28 first downs and 400 yards of total offense for the second-straight game. Even the return of linebackers Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds to the lineup could not correct the troubles the Bills have had on defense.
But the defensive issues may not matter as long as Allen continues to play at an MVP level. Allen threw for four more touchdowns on Sunday, ran for another, went over 300 yards passing for the third-straight game, and led another game-winning drive. His play remains the story not only of the Bills’ season, but perhaps the entire league.
As the Bills begin a difficult stretch of upcoming AFC games, here are four things we learned from another memorable victory in this 2020 season:
Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Allen May Have Fourth Quarter Magic
When all seems lost, Allen has been the hero there to save the Bills. That was certainly true on Sunday as Allen led a game-winning drive that saved a staggered Bills team that had just taken the blow of four consecutive LA Rams touchdowns.
Sure, Allen made some mistakes that contributed to the Rams’ comeback. And the final drive was by no means a clinic. But all that matters is that the winning points went up on the scoreboard as Allen hit Tyler Kroft in the end zone with 15 seconds remaining.
For Allen it was not just the second-consecutive game-winning fourth quarter drive he has directed. It was the eighth fourth quarter comeback he’s led in three NFL seasons.
Is Allen “clutch?” Does he know how to get it done when it matters most? It’s easy to make that claim when you think of the game-winning fourth quarter drives he’s put together. Three of the last four Bills’ victories dating back to last season have included a go-ahead touchdown drive led by Allen in the fourth quarter. He also led a drive for a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation in the Bills’ playoff loss at Houston.
The truth of it is that the Bills have found themselves in a position where they need to come back in the fourth quarter far too often. That’s largely because Allen has had games with subpar play through three quarters. That’s not the case this season as the Bills have scored 66 points in quarters 1-3 so far through three games. It is true, however, that two costly Allen turnovers helped put the Bills behind the eight-ball in the fourth quarter. Allen threw an ill-advised interception after the Rams’ first touchdown that put a tired Buffalo defense right back on the field, though it appeared the interception should have been overturned by replay (it was not). He also had the ball ripped from his hands by Aaron Donald on a sack in the final frame.
Still, Allen put it all together to pull out the win on the final drive. It was a rocky ride that included a sack and an incomplete pass on back-to-back plays that put the Bills in a third-and-22 hole, as well as a 15-yard facemask penalty on Allen as he tried to avoid a sack, and an incomplete pass on fourth down that was bailed out by a pass interference penalty. But it also included passes of 18, 22, and 19 yards to Cole Beasley, and a 17-yard throw to Stefon Diggs on third-and-25 that put the Bills in a manageable situation to convert on fourth down.
The Bills can’t rely on Allen to bail them out every week. A true mark of a title contender is its ability to win games easily. But the league’s upper echelon quarterbacks are known for pulling games out that appear lost. The Bills never seem out of a game as long as Allen is dealing. That level of trust and confidence in their quarterback could go a long way for Buffalo in 2020.
Buffalo Bills podcast following Week 3, 2020 NFL season vs. Los Angeles Rams on quarterback Josh Allen.
The Buffalo Bills left us with another nail-biter finish this weekend, as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 35-32 in Orchard Park. With a 28-3 deficit in hand for the Bills early in the third quarter, the Rams rallied back to challenge the Bills, scoring 29 unanswered points, but could not finish the game on top.
It certainly left many scratching their heads, as the phrase “28-3” is not one that is kindly used on the team with 28 points. The Bills, however, avoided that ugly stigma with another incredible, yet roller coaster ride of a fourth-quarter comeback. The Bills now have three wins in as many weeks, with a road trip to Las Vegas to play the Raiders next week.
There are certainly some questions about this Bills defense, and the scheme being used after they jumped to the massive lead that they did. How could a team that was ranked in the top-five last year allow such a comeback? It was certainly worrisome, as that put Bills quarterback Josh Allen and the offense in unnecessarily challenging predicaments the last several weeks,
Allen continues to earn a solid reputation amongst his fans and even his biggest critics. Allen has thrown for 300-plus yards in every game this year, and it isn’t too far-fetched to start mentioning Allen in the MVP discussion. It’s still early, and there’s lots of great football to be played, but he’s playing as great as any elite quarterback in the NFL right now.
Listen to this week’s Bills Wire reaction podcast with host Matt Johnson above and follow on your choice of:
It sounds like Cooper Kupp will remain the Rams’ primary punt returner.
There were several game-changing plays in Sunday’s Rams-Eagles contest, none of which were bigger than Cooper Kupp’s fumble before halftime. It was a mistake by the usually reliable receiver, not only for fielding a punt inside his own 5-yard line, but then coughing the ball up and giving the Eagles terrific field position.
It hurt even worse that the fumble came with less than a minute left in the first half and with the Rams leading 21-9. The Eagles quickly turned the takeaway into seven points, drawing to within five points before the break.
Sean McVay endorsed Kupp as the Rams’ punt returner last week and despite his fumble on Sunday, he isn’t wavering on that decision.
“In some of those situations, it’s just the trust in him to be able to field it. I still have the same trust in Cooper Kupp,” McVay said after the game. “He’s going to be a huge part of everything that we do. He ended up making a couple of guys miss, then the ball got a little bit loose. Those are great learning opportunities. Like any great competitor, it’s about your ability to respond. He ended up closing out the game for us on a jet sweep on a third-and-2. That was great situational awareness to stay inbounds so we can take a knee and run the clock out. Not at all worried about that, but those are things we can all learn from. My confidence in Cooper doesn’t change at all.”
Nsimba Webster remains on the roster and was expected to be the Rams’ primary punt returner this season, but he has yet to field a punt in two games. It sounds like that won’t change, either, with Kupp likely remaining the team’s punt returner.
As costly as the mistake was, it’s not at all surprising to see McVay stick by his playmaker moving forward.
Jalen Ramsey’s extension is what started it all for the Rams this offseason.
It seemed like an impossible task for the Rams to re-sign three of their most important players to long-term extensions this offseason with their cap situation in 2020. The Wednesday before Week 1, the Rams were the only team over the salary cap this year.
So how on earth did they manage to extend Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods all in a matter of two weeks? It probably wasn’t as easy as they made it look, especially with Ramsey’s historic $105 million deal leading the way.
It all comes down to moving money around and figuring out how much money to put where. Because while the salary cap certainly restricts teams from making certain moves, there’s almost always money that can be found and space that can be created.
For starters, the Rams were able to create cap space for 2020 by extending Ramsey. They lowered his cap hit from $13.7 million to only $1.2 million. That created $12.5 million in salary cap space, which was critical because the Rams were right up against the limit this year.
That opened the space needed to re-sign Kupp, who was able to get a raise in 2020 after Ramsey’s deal was made official. Kupp’s cap hit rose from about $2 million to $3.37 million, still a modest number for a receiver who just signed a $47.25 million deal.
By Kupp keeping his cap hit lower in 2020, it kept enough money available for Woods, too. Woods was already under contract this year (and next), with a cap hit of $8.2 million in 2020. According to Ian Rapoport, Woods gets $4.5 million in new money this season and next, which if spread equally between the two would mean his cap hit in 2020 will be about $10.45 million and $12.4 million in 2021.
Then, his financial hit in 2022 – the first “new” year of his contract – will be $13.5 million, which still isn’t a very high number, all things considered.
More details: Robert Woods gets $4.5M in new money in the two existing years. The first new year is at $13.5M, so Woods gets $18M in new money through 2022, source said. https://t.co/IwhfDhywfU
It was Ramsey’s contract that truly opened the door for the Rams to get all of this done because if not for his extension, the Rams would’ve been right up against the cap heading into the season rather than having $12.5 million.
Don’t get it twisted: Ramsey still got a nice raise and will see the bulk of it in the coming years, but he made it possible for the Rams to re-sign their two talented receivers – and he was thrilled to see it happen.
Practice will be fun for years to come lol.. y’all better get ready tho kus im 🔒 😂.. it’s all love! 💯 https://t.co/FoqPUs8JIx
With Ramsey, Kupp and Woods all extended for the long-term future, it’ll be a challenge for the Rams to bring in outside free agents – at least the high-priced ones – or extend other key players such as John Johnson, Leonard Floyd, Troy Hill and Gerald Everett.
In all likelihood, they’ll walk in free agency next year because the Rams can only afford to hand out so many lucrative contracts before truly hindering their roster-building ability down the line.
A big winner in the new Robert Woods contract extension is Bears WR Allen Robinson, who should get closer to the money he wants.
The Los Angeles Rams have given wide receiver Robert Woods a four-year, $68 million contract extension with $32 million guaranteed. This comes a couple of days after the Rams extended another wide receiver, Cooper Kupp, worth three-year, $48 million.
Per source Robert Woods gets a four-year extension, $32 million guaranteed, up to $68 million, with the Rams
A big winner in this deal is Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the Bears are willing to offer Robinson $15 million to $16 million per year, but Robinson is looking for around $18 million per year. Woods is slated to make up to $17 million per year.
Woods is coming off a season where he totaled 1,134 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 90 receptions with one of the best offensive-minded coaches and a solid quarterback in Jared Goff. Robinson worked with questionable play-calling and below-average production at quarterback and finished the season with 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns on 98 receptions.
Robinson is coming off a better season in an offense where he is considered the only reliable offensive production. Thanks to the Rams, Woods’ contract gives the leverage to Robinson where he can get closer to that $18 million he is looking for.
But the main question that everyone has been wondering is: What’s gone wrong? Especially considering general manager Ryan Pace has a track record of rewarding players that have earned contract extensions.
Robinson has felt disrespected by the Bears’ contract offers, which have been kept under wraps. But now, it sounds like we have a better understanding of how much the Bears feel Robinson’s services are worth compared to what Robinson is seeking.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Bears have been using Cooper Kupp’s extension with the Los Angeles Rams as a comparison for what they feel they should pay Robinson, which is in the $15-16 million per-year range. But Robinson believes he should be paid in the Tyreek Hill and Odell Beckham Jr. range, which is around $18 million per year.
It certainly doesn’t help that Chargers receiver Keenan Allen just signed a four-year extension worth reportedly $20 million per year. Robinson has been just as good if not better than Allen in terms of production (their numbers are quite similar) and it’s made even more impressive given that Robinson did it in one of the worst offenses with questionable quarterback play.
So what happens now?
Graziano says Robinson’s desire is to sign an extension with the Bears. But if they don’t want to pay him what he believes he’s worth — which sounds like $18 million per year — he’s brought up the idea of being traded to another team that will pay him.
One thing is certain, the longer Pace drags his feet with this contract extension, Robinson’s price tag could certainly rise even higher, given Detroit’s Kenny Golladay and Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin are looking for big paydays this season.
Nickell Robey-Coleman looking forward to facing Cooper Kupp
[jwplayer jJ6KHY5L]
During every NFL game, there are unique one on one matchups hidden inside the actual matchups going on between the two teams. During Sunday’s home opener against the Los Angeles Rams, one key matchup to watch will take place in the slot, where one of the NFL’s top cover guys (Nickell Robey-Coleman) will face off against one of the league’s really talented slot wide receivers (Cooper Kupp).
Robey-Coleman knows his former teammate all too well after spending three seasons with the Rams and he told the media on Wednesday, that he’s looking forward to the high profile matchup.
“I’m excited to play against my old team,” Robey-Coleman told reporters Wednesday. “For the guys over there, there’s big love. There’s a lot of love. I’m just sharing all the information that I can remember from being in L.A. I’m telling Rod right now that if you see this, then this could possibly happen. (Darius) Slay and I are talking and being upbeat about how (Sean) McVay uses his offense and how the guys work around Jared to get open and things like that. So far, so good.”
Robey-Coleman called Kupp a “strong” route runner who can finish his routes and accelerate with the best of them.
As the Eagles slot cornerback, Robey-Coleman will matchup with Cupp a lot, while Jim Schwartz could toss in a wrinkle or two with Darius Slay as well.
Fresh out a massive contract extension, wide receiver Cooper Kupp has found another role to fill for the Los Angeles Rams.
One of the more surprising developments in the Rams’ Week 1 victory was that the team employed Cooper Kupp as their punt returner. Don’t be surprised when you see the fourth-year receiver catching punts next week. Sean McVay has named Kupp as the team’s punt returner moving forward.
Cooper Kupp is the Rams' punt returner going forward because Sean McVay wants the ball in his playmakers' hands: "The more touches he gets, the better it is for our football team."
McVay simply stated that “the more touches [Kupp] gets, the better it is for our football team.” It seems like the Rams plan on getting their money’s worth from Kupp, who just signed a three year, $48 million extension over the weekend to remain in Los Angeles.
Many expected fellow receiver Nsimba Webster to be the team’s punt returner in 2020. Webster took over the role from JoJo Natson last year in December and returned a handful of punts and kicks in five games. He made the roster again this season in a crowded offense and even returned kicks for the Rams against Dallas. But the Rams chose to go a different direction when it came to their punt returner.
Kupp briefly filled in for an injured Natson as the team’s punt returner in 2018, returning one punt for four yards. It appears the Rams have always been intrigued by the idea of Kupp as a return man but were afraid to commit to it full-time. With Kupp on the books for nearly $50 million, maybe they felt it was finally time to unleash him on special teams.
Expect to see Kupp catching punts for at least the next few games.
