Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said this week that wide receiver Cooper Kupp is the most overlooked player in the NFL. The way Kupp is playing, it’s impossible for him to be overlooked for much longer.
Kupp is off to a great start this season, but he’s probably not getting enough credit for just how much he is contributing to the Rams’ offense. For all the talk of Stafford’s arrival in Los Angeles, the big plays made by Stafford have mostly come when throwing to Kupp.
When throwing to Kupp, Stafford has completed 76.2 percent of his passes. When throwing to anyone else, Stafford has completed 65.7 percent of his passes.
When throwing to Kupp, Stafford has averaged 12.9 yards a pass. When throwing to everyone else, Stafford has averaged 9.4 yards a pass.
When throwing to Kupp, Stafford has touchdowns on 14.3 percent of his passes. When throwing to everyone else, Stafford has touchdowns on 5.7 percent of his passes.
Kupp had solid numbers last year, with 92 catches for 974 yards. But with 16 catches for 271 yards this year, he’s on pace to obliterate those numbers. If Kupp could keep up his current pace for 17 games, he’d finish with 136 catches for 2,304 yards.
It’s not realistic to think Kupp could do this for 17 games. But the start he’s on is remarkable, and Stafford is lucky to have him.