Cooper Kupp's hot start ranks among the best by a WR in NFL history

[theramswire.usatoday.com]
Cooper Kupp's hot start ranks among the best by a WR in NFL history

Cameron DaSilva
October 18, 2021 11:09 am PT
Cooper Kupp has always been a productive receiver for the Rams. The problem is, he’s dealt with injuries that have limited his production and kept him under 1,000 yards receiving in three of his first four seasons.

He’s been healthy and better than ever in 2021, capitalizing on the Rams’ quarterback upgrade with Matthew Stafford replacing Jared Goff. In just six games, Kupp has already caught 46 passes for 653 yards and seven touchdowns. For comparison, he caught 92 passes for 974 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games last season, averaging 3.6 more yards per catch and matching his career-high from 2018.


It’s still early, but Kupp is currently tied for the league lead in receptions and ranks first in touchdowns, sitting just 15 yards shy of Davante Adams for the top spot in that category, too. It’s clearly the best start of his career, but where does it rank in NFL history among all wide receivers? In short, it’s up there.

The only other player with at least 600 yards receiving and seven touchdown catches through Week 6 was Randy Moss in 2007 when he scored 23 touchdowns and racked up 1,493 yards receiving.

When factoring in Kupp’s 46 receptions, he stands alone in NFL history. That’s right, no player has ever caught at least 46 passes for 650 yards with seven touchdowns in his first six games. To be fair, Marvin Harrison had 45 receptions and 709 yards in his first six games of the 1999 season and Andre Rison caught 43 balls for 710 yards in 1990, so there have been comparable seasons, but Kupp edged just ahead of those two with his 46 catches.

Currently, Kupp is on pace for 131 catches, 1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns thanks to the new 17-game season, which would all be new franchise records for a Rams receiver – just to put his torrid pace into perspective. If he were to reach all of those numbers, he would become the first player in NFL history with 130 catches, 1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Jerry Rice is the only player to ever catch at least 100 passes with 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns in a season, so that’s the type of company Kupp is attempting to join this season.

There’s a long way to go, but if Stafford and Kupp keep up their current level of play, both will put together seasons that rank among the best in franchise history – and in Kupp’s case, one of the top performances ever by a wide receiver.