7 crazy stats from Cooper Kupp's historic start to the season

[theramswire.usatoday.com]
7 crazy stats from Cooper Kupp's historic start to the season


Cameron DaSilva
October 25, 2021 6:04 am PT
No wide receiver in the NFL is having a better 2021 season than Cooper Kupp. He’s been on a torrid pace through seven games, already catching 56 passes for 809 yards and nine touchdowns.

Needless to say, he enjoys having Matthew Stafford as his quarterback, reaping the benefits of Stafford’s downfield aggressiveness. Kupp has not only been the best receiver in football this season, but his seven-game start is one of the best in NFL history.


Here are seven crazy stats to put his performance thus far into perspective, showing just how dominant Kupp has been.

1
First Rams player with 150 yards and 2 TDs in two games since 1995

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Rams have had some outstanding receivers wear the horns throughout their history and Kupp is putting himself in the company of those greats. According to Pro Football Reference, Kupp is the first Rams player with two games of at least 150 yards and two touchdowns since Isaac Bruce did it in 1995.

The only other receiver besides Bruce and Kupp with two games of 150 yards and two touchdowns was Elroy Hirsch in 1951. No player has ever posted more than two such games, so Kupp has 10 more opportunities to become the first receiver in Rams history to do it three times in a season.

Today is Cooper Kupp's second game this year with 150+ yards and 2+ TDs

He's the first @RamsNFL player to do that twice in a season since Isaac Bruce in 1995 [t.co] pic.twitter.com/VC8ogEvUa2

— ProFootballReference (@pfref) October 24, 2021

2
First player since 1962 with 800 yards and 9 TDs in first 7 games



Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Kupp has already crossed the 800-yard mark, which he didn’t do until Week 13 last season. He’s also scored nine touchdowns, one shy of his career high set in 2019. According to Stathead, Kupp is the first player in the Super Bowl era (since 1970) with at least 800 yards and nine touchdowns in his first seven games of a season.

The last player to accomplish this was Bobby Mitchell of Washington in 1962. Kupp is just the fifth player in NFL history to post those numbers in the first seven games of a season, joining Mitchell, Billy Howton, Elroy Hirsch and Raymond Berry.


3
Has 223 more receiving yards from the slot than any other player

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Kupp has become more than just a slot receiver this season, but he still primarily lines up inside. It’s where he does most of his damage, showcasing his route-running ability and short-area quickness to get open for his quarterback.

He already has 607 yards receiving from the slot, which is 223 more than the next-closest player, Christian Kirk. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce rank third and fourth, respectively, while Tyler Boyd is fifth with 307 yards – just over half of Kupp’s total.

Cooper Kupp had most of his production when aligned in the slot, catching 6 of 9 targets for 133 yards.

Kupp has 607 receiving yards from the slot this season, 223 more than the next closest player (Christian Kirk: 384).#DETvsLAR | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/2BqG5T0S14

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 24, 2021

If you only took Kupp’s yards from the slot, he would still have the sixth-most yards in the NFL this season.


4
Already tied NFL record for games with 9 catches, 90 yards and 2 TDs in a season

Rams broadcaster J.B. Long always uncovers great stats and the one he found Sunday is especially good. Kupp already has four games this season with at least nine catches, 90 yards and two touchdowns. That tied Davante Adams’ NFL record from last season, yet Kupp still has 10 more games to go.

Cris Carter had three such games in 1995 and Tyler Lockett also had three in 2020, so Kupp is on a torrid pace when it comes to these numbers.

Most games with 9+ rec | 90 + rec yds | 2+ TD
Single-season, NFL History

Cooper Kupp (4, through 7 weeks)
Davante Adams (4, 2020)
Cris Carter (3, 1995)
Tyler Locket (3, 2020) pic.twitter.com/EWHw0lmMBz

— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) October 25, 2021

5
He’s scored 3 times as many TDs than he did last season

(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Kupp put up decent numbers last season, catching 92 passes for 974 yards. However, he only scored three touchdowns after finding the end zone 10 times the year prior. It was even half the number of touchdowns he scored in only eight games in 2018.

This season, the end zone has been Kupp’s second home. He’s already scored nine touchdowns in seven games, which is three times as many touchdowns as he had last season. He’s currently on pace for 22 touchdowns this year, which would be one shy of Randy Moss’ record set in 2007 with the Patriots.

6
Leads NFL in targets, receptions, yards, first downs and touchdowns

(AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)

Good luck finding a wideout who has numbers that are even close to Kupp’s this season. He leads the NFL in targets (81), receptions (56), yards (809), first downs (37) and touchdowns (9), proving to be a fantasy football marvel in 2021.

No player has more than seven touchdowns and his 809 yards are 55 more than the next-closest player, Ja’Marr Chase. On a not-so-positive note, however, he ranks second in the league with five dropped passes, so his numbers could be even better if not for those drops.

7
Has 3 games of at least 9 catches and 100 yards for third straight season

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

In only seven weeks, Kupp already has three games with at least nine catches and 100 yards. It’s the third straight season that he’s posted three games with those numbers, doing it three times each in 2019 and 2020. Kupp only had one such game in 2017 and 2018 combined, so most of his biggest performances have come in the last three years.

As previously mentioned, Kupp already has four games with at least nine catches, 90 yards and two touchdowns. Prior to this season, he had only done that twice in his career, so he’s doubled that total in 2021.