Big Game Incoming vs. Vikings for Former Playoff Hero Cooper Kupp?

The NFL Playoffs have largely been a disappointment to this point, with Wild Card weekend being blowout city outside of one game. Thank goodness for the Commanders and Buccaneers having a competitive football game, because if they didn’t, every game would have been a double-digit victory. We have one game left in this round tonight between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams, and hopefully we get an entertaining matchup.

One name that you will be hearing about tonight is Rams WR Cooper Kupp, the 2021 postseason legend that helped Los Angeles win a Super Bowl. We all know how good he is and how unreal he can be when he is 100% healthy, but that has been the problem for Kupp throughout his entire career. Unfortunately, he is always on the injured list for some reason or another, and landed there for several games this season as well.

He’s back in the lineup and should be good to go for this game, but recent performances have not exactly inspired a lot of confidence that he can be the same guy he was four years ago. Over his last five games played, he has failed to generate even 30 yards receiving in four of them. The only game he thrived in was against Buffalo, where he had five catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. In his last matchup against the Cardinals, he had just a single catch for 29 yards on only three targets.

I am not sure he is at 100% right now, but with him, you rarely are going to get that. However, there is reason to think that he could be in store for a vintage Cooper Kupp performance tonight. The first reason for that is pretty obvious, and that is the fact that the Vikings defense has been horrendous against the pass this season. They ranked 28th in that category, and have allowed receivers to rip them all season, especially from the slot. Kupp thrives in the slot normally, and with a matchup as soft as this, he could really take advantage.

Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores plays mostly zone coverage and likes to blitz the opposing QB, which is a very boom or bust strategy. That is what the Vikings have been this season for the most part as a team, and with their easy schedule, they have had much more boom. Still, this is a tremendous opportunity for Kupp, who historically has been incredible against zone coverage. With all the attention likely to be paid to his counterpart Puka Nacua, who has also been fantastic this season, Kupp should get plenty of looks from Matthew Stafford tonight.

It is also worth mentioning that the Rams have essentially had a bye week coming into this game. They sat their starters in their last regular season game against the Seattle Seahawks, so Kupp will be on two weeks' rest when he plays tonight. Meanwhile, the Vikings had a big game against the Lions last week in which they fell flat on their faces, with the secondary getting burned left and right. There is no question that L.A. has the massive advantage in the rest department, which for an oft-injured veteran like Kupp, is great news.

Our guy Dan Karpuc is backing Kupp tonight to have a big game, and you can get in on the action as well at BetMGM, where Kupp’s receiving yards line is just 48.5 due to his recent poor stats in the category. Let’s see if he can turn back the clock for us with a classic Kupp playoff performance.

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