Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr. Carry the Load on Offense to Clinch Rams' Super Bowl Berth

Matthew Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. early and often en route to the Rams' 20-17 NFC Championship victory over the 49ers.

Connor O'Brien | Jan 31, 2022

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It was a scoreless game almost halfway through the second quarter. The standard divisional, low-scoring, hard-hitting, physical showdown looked to be at the forefront of everyone's mind. Then on a third and long, or more specifically, third and 13 – Cooper Kupp found an opening off a post route into the end zone, resulting in a 16-yard reception to put the Rams ahead to a 7-0 lead.

Kupp's touchdown was quickly answered by his counterpart, Deebo Samuel, who took a routine screen pass 44 yards to the house. The number one wide receiver for the 49ers has been electric all year, both in the receiving game and in the rushing attack. But in the end, it was the Rams' receiving stars – Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. – that rose above the rest on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium.

Kupp has been a matchup nightmare for opposing teams all season. The Rams' No. 1 option who often moves around from inside the slot alignment as well as along the boundary, was back at it again exploiting mismatches as L.A. picked up big gains.

Despite the 49ers continually bringing safeties down closer to the line of scrimmage with the attempt to double-team Kupp, his elite route-running combined with the chemistry in which he has with Stafford, allowed him to get plenty of open looks on the night and the Rams took advantage.

Kupp's second touchdown of the game came on a beautiful touch pass by Stafford for 11 yards, capping off a 7-play, 75-yard drive for the fourth quarter score to tie the game. Stafford's lob pass was just over the head of 49ers cornerback K'waun Williams, putting it just out of arms reach for him to make a play on the ball. It was Kupp's second touchdown of the game and another example of his excellent route running to create space in a tight window.

In the end, Kupp led the game with 11 receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. While Kupp was brilliant, he wasn’t alone. Midseason acquisition Odell Beckham Jr. was just as impressive.

The Rams' in-season free-agent signing will now play for his first Super Bowl. Beckham's midseason decision between the Packers and the Rams has paid off, as the star wide receiver will play the biggest game of his career in two weeks.

Beckham was primarily matched up against rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas, who was no match for the rejuvenated wide receiver. Beckham routinely completed third-down conversations when called upon and was a key contributor to the Rams' NFC Championship run. Once looked at as a potential third option after his signing and with a healthy Robert Woods, Beckham has recaptured the magic he had in New York, propelling the Rams to the Super Bowl.

Beckham's 113 yards on nine receptions were the second-highest totals in the game, just behind Kupp. As the playoffs have continued, Stafford and Beckham have been able to find chemistry at an elite level – something he was searching for following his stint in Cleveland with how things shook out regarding his involvement within the Browns offense.

The combination of Kupp and Beckham totaled lifted the Rams to victory in the receiving game, totaling 20 catches for 255 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams' receiving duo finished the conference championship game just 27 yards shy of reaching San Francisco's total yardage as a team.

Entering Super Bowl Sunday, the Rams have two elite options at the wide receiver position to turn to in the event that things shape up into a shootout style of matchup. Facing a Bengals defense struggling to meet top receivers, expect Kupp and Beckham to be heavily involved when the stars align for Super Bowl LVI.

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Published Jan 31, 2022

CONNOR O'BRIEN

Connor covers the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated.