By james art Rams star Cooper Kupp is expected to return against the Vikings on Thursday Night Football this week, Sean McVay announced after LA’s 20-15 win over the Raiders on Sunday. Kupp has been out since Week 2 with an ankle injury.
The Rams are still just 2-4 after their win, but will be glad to get one of their best players back for this week’s primetime game on a short week. Kupp had 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in a season-opening loss to the Lions, then was injured the following week against the Cardinals. Los Angeles was without Cupp and Puka Naqua, who suffered a knee injury in the opener. Nacua remains on IR and has yet to practice, making it unlikely he will play this week.
The Vikings (5-1) will look to bounce back from Sunday’s close loss against the Lions, which means they’ll want to find a way to prevent Kupp from having a big game in his return. He’s dealt with some injuries the past few years, but Kupp — who had perhaps the best wide receiver season of all time in 2021 when Kevin O’Connell was with the Rams — looked pretty good in Week 1 .He and Matthew Stafford have developed quite a relationship over the years.
After dropping an 8-112-1 game to Amon-Ra St. Brown on Sunday, the Vikings have allowed a receiver to pass for at least 100 yards against them in four of the last five games. Garrett Wilson, Jayden Reed and Deebo Samuel did it against them before the St. Brown. Against the Texans in Week 3, both Stefon Diggs (94 yards) and Nico Collins (86) came pretty close to that mark.
The Vikings’ defense has been excellent this year, but their cornerback trio of Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr. is not one of their strengths on that side of the ball. They have allowed a lot of yards this season and now they will have to contend with Koop.
The Vikings are currently a 3-point favorite heading into Thursday night’s game. The Rams weren’t great on offense against the Raiders, but they forced four fumbles and will likely be more effective moving the ball with Kupp in the mix. The Vikings, clearly the better team on paper in this matchup, will need to play well at SoFi Stadium to get to 6-1.