Rams QB Stafford, WR Kupp Aiming to Get on the Same Page

The Los Angeles Rams dominated the Minnesota Vikings Monday night, winning by nearly three touchdowns. The Rams' defense suffocated the Vikings' offense, and the Rams' offense did just enough to put the game out of reach on Monday night.

However, over the past few weeks, the connection between quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been off. Against the Vikings, he caught his lone target for 29 yards.

Over the final three weeks of the regular season, Kupp had nine targets and four catches for 53 yards. This included the team's critical late-season matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, in which Kupp was targeted three times but did not register a catch.

Leading up to the Rams' rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles, Stafford acknowledged a disconnect between the two.

"As far as Cooper goes, it's been strange," Stafford said. "Obviously, the ball that I ended up throwing to Puka's [Nacua] feet the other day, he's sitting there wide open, and it just seemed like we were re-watching the first time we played the Eagles earlier this year. 'Coop' and I were maybe this morning or whatever it was, and he's open on another one, and I get hit right as I'm throwing it, too.

"He's like, 'It's kind of been the way it's gone.' Sometimes, those things happen, and he's an unbelievable teammate, a guy who sacrifices for our team in so many different ways. I know that we're at our best when everybody on the field is touching the ball and he made his presence felt on Monday night with a big-time catch on a third down that we needed. Anything we can do to get him the ball, that's great. If you talk to him, he's just such a great team guy. He's all about us winning and doing whatever he can to help us win."

Kupp also acknowledged how close he and Stafford have been, but they have yet to figure things out. Kupp plans to continue working hard to be ready when his number is called.

“That’s been kind of the story of the year," Kupp said. "It's just kind of been every time… the few plays that you have a really good opportunity to make a big play, it just breaks down somewhere. It doesn't work out, but that’s football. That's football, and I'm on a really long streak with some unfortunate things that happen. It is what it is. I'm going to continue to compete and battle. I’m going to continue to come in here and work for these guys. That's how it goes sometimes.”

The Rams' offense must be at its best on Sunday against the Eagles. Kupp and Stafford's alignment would make life much easier for the rest of the team.

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