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The Rams’ Cooper Kupp caught 14 passes for 110 yards and a nine-yard touchdown (above) in the season opener against the Detroit Lions. (David Dermer / Associated Press)
Cooper Kupp is aware of the buzz about the Rams possibly trading him.
But the veteran receiver’s focus Thursday night will be on returning to the lineup for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in the second week of the season.
“I’m feeling really good,” Kupp said this week as the Rams prepared for their game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium.
It remains to be seen whether the Rams will move on from the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year by the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline — or keep him if coach Sean McVay’s injury-plagued team shows signs of mounting a turnaround and playoff drive for the second season in a row.
That makes the “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the Vikings pivotal on several fronts.
Read more: Cooper Kupp will play Thursday, but will it be his last game with the Rams?
The Rams are 2-4 after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday but now every game is like a playoff game for them.
A victory over the Vikings (5-1), who suffered their first loss in a last-minute defeat to the Detroit Lions, would give the Rams their first back-to-back victories. It also would reinforce their belief that they can repeat a 2023 turnaround that saw them rebound from a 3-6 start to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs.
That probably cannot happen unless injured players continue to return.
Receiver Puka Nacua participated in two jog-throughs this week and is listed as questionable for Thursday night, but that seems like pure gamesmanship. Is McVay going to risk playing the second-year pro without the benefit of full practices?
But if Kupp returns to form — he caught 14 passes for 110 yards and touchdown in the season opener — and Nacua and offensive linemen Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson and Joe Noteboom eventually return, mounting a push in the wide-open NFC West is…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cooper-kupp-wont-only-familiar-100050312.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-10-24 10:00:50
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