Super Bowl LVI MVP – Rams’ Cooper Kupp
Completes Generational Performance
Eighth Wide Receiver to be named MVP
Rams’ Cooper Kupp capped off a breakout season with an MVP performance in Super Bowl LVI. Kupp’s 1-yard TD reception with 1:25 left became the winning score in the Rams’ 23-20 victory over the Bengals. He was justifiably named Super Bowl MVP after catching 8 of 10 targets for 92 yards and two TDs. He became only the eighth receiver to win Super Bowl MVP. QB Matthew Stafford finished 2nd in the balloting while DT Aaron Donald finished 3rd in the award. Stafford threw 3 TD passes and orchestrated a brilliant game plan with savvy throwing and good decision making. Donald was invisible the first three quarters being regularly double teamed, but came on late with two big sacks to close the victory.
Draft Insiders’ predicted a Rams Super Bowl victory prior to the start of the 2021 season in our 2021 forecast
On the game winning drive, Kupp also converted a fourth-and-1 with an 8-yard run on a jet sweep with five minutes left. It was probably the critical play of the game. He caught four passes for 34 yards on the Rams’ game-winning drive. Earlier, he also caught an 11-yard TD reception early in the second quarter gave the Rams a 13-3 lead.
Kupp won by the NFL’s most prolific offensive player off a rare generational 2021 triple statistic performance of receptions, yardage and TDs. He recently became the first wide receiver to receive a regular season MVP vote since Randy Moss in 1998. He finished third behind Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, the latter of whom won his fourth MVP award and 2nd in a row. rd.
The veteran 28 year-old receiver led the NFL in catches, receiving yards and TD receptions during the regular season. His 147 receptions and 1,947 receiving yards were the second-highest regular-season totals in league history. He became the first receiver in league history to surpass 2,000 receiving yards in a season during the Rams’ win over the Cardinals in the wild card round of the playoffs. In 21 games this season, including the postseason, he totaled 178 receptions for 2,425 yards and 22 TDs. He was the catalyst on an injured receiving corps that lost vet Robert Woods early in the season and late addition Odell Beckham who was injured in the first half of the Super Bowl. Kupp’s production helped deliver the Rams’ first Super Bowl win as a Los Angeles-based team.
Kupp won the wide receiver triple crown as he led the league in catches (145), yards receiving (1,947) and touchdowns (16). He averaged 114.5 yards per game, which was also tops in the league. His run after the catch ability is incredible with both speed and power to break tackles and run away from defenders.