Injuries have piled up on the Los Angeles Rams already this season. Puka Nacua might not be back until November, and Cooper Kupp left Sunday’s game with an injury. Further troubling the issue, Kupp wore a walking boot after the brutal loss to the Cardinals, according to a post on X by Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.
“Rams WR Cooper Kupp has a walking boot on his left foot/lower leg as he leaves the locker room.”
Rams WR Cooper Kupp battling yet another injury
Kupp suffered an ankle injury during the first half of the blowout loss to the Cardinals. It’s another setback for Kupp, who missed much of the 2023 season because of various injuries.
Before he left, Kupp had a modest four catches for 37 yards. That came on the heels of a 14-catch, 110-yard, 21-target outing in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. There’s no doubt Matthew Stafford has a history of pepper Kupp with targets instead of spreading the ball around. All of that use, which transferred to Puka Nacua last year may have caught up with Kupp. Also, Nacua went down last week and may not be back until November. Perhaps Stafford’s receiver single-mindedness can take part of the blame for these injuries.
Last week Stafford told Sports Illustrated he thought Kupp would have a big game last week. Well, with 21 targets, Stafford made himself quite the prophet. But Stafford said Kupp looked good in practice.
“That's what I've been seeing in practice,” Stafford said. “That's who I know he is. I'd love to see what his yardage was running today. We're asking him to move all over the place and handle a whole lot of things, both in the pass game and the run game, and he leads that room really well.”
Of course there’s no denying Kupp is a truly incredible receiver. His 2021 season, with 145 catches for 1.947 yards and 16 touchdowns, speaks for itself.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said Kupp — the 2022 Super Bowl most valuable player — improved physically and mentally heading throughout his career, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I've seen the epitome in a growth mindset from Cooper Kupp,” McVay said. “A guy that understands the work works. There is no such thing as fixed abilities or intelligence. There are all things that can be improved upon with time, dedication, and effort. He models the way every single day.”
