The Los Angeles Rams lost a thrilling overtime game to the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football, 26-20. The Rams, trailing by two scores in the third quarter, clawed their way back into the game and even had a chance to win the game in regulation time.

Unfortunately, the game went into overtime; the Lions got the ball first and never looked back. The Lions dropped the ball down the throat of the Rams defense and that was all they wrote.

While the loss wasn’t ideal, the play of star wide receiver Cooper Kupp certainly was. Kupp looked like the Kupp of old, the one we’d all grown accustomed to. The 31-year-old wide receiver had his best game since suffering an injury in the 2022 season.

Kupp was spectacular and while he surprised many with his performance, he did not surprise his star quarterback, Matthew Stafford.

Speaking to the media after the announcement, Stafford said he knew Kupp would be playing an important game.

“That’s what I’ve seen in practice,” Stafford said of Kupp. “That’s who I know he is. … I’d like to see what his yardage was today. … We’re asking him to move everywhere and do a lot of things, both in the pass game and the run game, and he’s really running that space well.”

Kupp was everything the Rams expected him to be and more. In the loss, Kupp recorded 14 receptions on 21 targets for 110 yards and one touchdown. The former All-Pro wide receiver was remarkable for his team, and his quarterback knew how to get him the ball.

It’s been a whirlwind for Kupp since he reached the mountaintop in 2021. Since then, Kupp has battled injury after injury. Even last season, when he returned from the injured list in Week 5, Kupp wasn’t moving the way he did. Kupp has been through it all over the last year and a half, whether it was an ankle sprain, hamstring strain or another ankle injury.

It seems that all that is in the past and Kupp is ready to show the football world that he is as dominant as we remember him. Stafford and Kupp have a chemistry like no other and we should see more performances like Sunday for the rest of the season.

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