Los Angeles Rams: Here’s how vital Cooper Kupp loss is

The Los Angeles Rams are a great offensive team. They will find a way to adjust. Still, it’s hard to put into words how tough the loss of Cooper Kupp is.

The young wide receiver was a tremendous find in the 3rd round last year. He helped to elevate quarterback Jared Goff to elite status over the past year with his utterly reliable player. Unfortunately, as is so often the case in the NFL, he suffered a setback. The wide receiver left the Seattle Seahawks game with a knee injury.

Afterward, head coach Sean McVay admitted it didn’t look good. Further medical examination revealed the worst fears. Kupp had torn his ACL. The teams’ primary slot guy was done for the year, setting the stage for fellow 2017 pick Josh Reynold to get more playing time moving forward. Either way, it robs this offense of a vital piece to its passing attack. Do people understand how much?

Kupp has been a key chains mover for the Rams since he arrived

Slot receivers can be great at a lot of things, but one key facet that makes them so important is their ability to get 1st downs. It’s such an underrated trait and something that’s not as easy as it sounds. Keeping the chains moving can be tough. Kupp has been their guy in this regard for two years. Of the 70 total catches he’s made as a pro, 46 of them went for a 1st down. That’s a staggering 65.71%. The guy was a machine.

To think he had over 500 yards and six touchdowns in just seven games going into Seattle. It’s a reminder that he was starting to mature into a genuine star for L.A. There’s no reason to think the Rams can’t keep scoring points, but even the best offenses never quite function at full capacity when they lose a player of that caliber and that importance.

Time will tell how much his absence does affect them.