Cooper Kupp’s last 3 games are among the worst of his entire career

When Cooper Kupp caught two of seven targets in Week 9’s loss to the Packers, it was only the second time in his career that he had less than three catches on at least six targets. The other time he did that was two weeks ago, when he caught two-of-seven against the Steelers, and the game that Kupp had in between those contests was arguably the worst of his career.

This has been the worst stretch that Rams receiver Cooper Kupp has ever endured and another reason that L.A. needs Matthew Stafford (or Carson Wentz?) more than ever.

In a 2019 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kupp played almost every snap but finished with zero catches on four targets from Jared Goff. That is probably the worst game of Kupp’s career, to finish with zero catches in a 17-12 loss in Pittsburgh. However, these last three games deserve attention for how poorly they’ve gone, not just for Kupp, but the entire offense.

Week 7’s loss to the Steelers was the first time that Kupp had been targeted seven times but only caught two or fewer passes. He finished with only 29 yards. This is definitely Kupp’s worst career game with Matthew Stafford as the QB.

The next week, Kupp was targeted 10 times in a 43-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and he caught four passes for only 21 yards. Of course, Stafford left that game in the middle of a blowout, the hand injury costing him the next game. Kupp’s 2.1 yards per target against the Cowboys is the third-worst of his career: He caught three-of-nine targets for only 11 yards in a loss to the 49ers in 2020 and he caught three-of-five for -1 yard (yes. -.2 yards per target!) in a loss to the Cardinals last season with John Wolford as the quarterback.

Then this past Sunday, Kupp again caught two-of-seven targets, this time with Brett Rypien, and finished with 48 yards.

That unfortunately means that in his last three games, Cooper Kupp has caught eight-of-24 targets (33%) for 98 yards (4.1 yards per target) and one two-point conversion caught.

Among all NFL receivers with at least nine targets in the last three weeks, Kupp’s 33% catch rate ranks 124th out of 128. The only player below him with at least 10 targets is DK Metcalf, who has caught only six-of-18 targets in two games with the Seahawks.

Another receiver struggling recently to produce is Davante Adams. He has averaged 3.9 yards per target and a 46% catch rate with the Raiders in the last three games, as Las Vegas has benched Jimmy Garoppolo, played three different QBs, and fired the head coach.

The Rams seem to expect Stafford to return in Week 11 against the Seahawks, but have also signed Wentz as an insurance policy with a bye week to prepare for Seattle. Having Stafford back is definitely a cure for Kupp’s woes, but L.A. also needs the offense to work better as a whole. Having Kupp and Stafford together, something that hasn’t happened many times this year, would be a step in the right direction.

It couldn’t get worse.