Coming into the game against the Los Angeles Rams, the goal for the defense was pretty clear: don’t let WR Cooper Kupp singlehandedly beat the Steelers.
Head coach Mike Tomlin praised Kupp heading into the matchup, comparing him to NBA star LeBron James for the impact he can have on games even when he’s the key focus for the opposing team. The Steelers famously held Kupp to zero receptions on four targets in 2019, winning against Los Angeles 17-12, and they were successful and not letting the Kupp beat them today, holding him to two receptions for 29 yards on seven targets.
CB Patrick Peterson was asked about how the defense was so successful at containing Kupp and minimizing his impact on the game in the locker room after Pittsburgh secured the 24-17 victory on the road. Peterson credited to being a full effort from the defense, having each guy do his part to take the All-Pro wideout out of the game.
“I feel like we did a good job of just protecting our leverage being where we was supposed to be,” Peterson said to the media on video from Steelers.com. “And in certain coverages, there were a couple times he got behind us on the defensive side. But I feel like we did a great job of containing him, because when you see Cooper Kupp out there, you see him making multiple big plays. But I feel like we did a great job of keeping that down to a minimum. And I believe that’s what helped us to win the ball game: not letting him get off. Obviously, Puka [Nacua] had a solid game, but that’s what we wanted to do. We had to force someone else to beat us.”
Nacua had himself a day with Pittsburgh focused on keeping Kupp quiet, catching eight passes on 12 targets for 154 yards. He made plays all over the field, winning deep down the field as well as over the middle, catching several passes and gaining yards after catch.
However, Peterson noted that it was the Steelers’ goal to make Nacua beat them rather than Kupp, who has carved up opposing defenses time and again since he and Stafford joined forces after Stafford was traded to the Rams from the Lions in 2021. Kupp drew a lot of attention from Pittsburgh, having multiple defenders cover him as coverage was turned his way. He also had a couple of drops on the game, which was uncharacteristic for Kupp, but a benefit for Pittsburgh nonetheless.
Pittsburgh had been gashed by opposing WR1s so far this season, allowing Brandon Aiyuk, Amari Cooper, Nico Collins, and Davante Adams to all have big games against them. Nacua got his against Pittsburgh’s secondary, but the Steelers were successful at keeping Kupp at bay for a second-straight game, an impressive feat given Kupp’s track record. We’ll see if Pittsburgh can continue to get the kinks worked out in its pass defense as the Steelers look to keep multiple pass catchers on the opposing team down as they prepare to face the Jaguars next week, a squad that has quite the wide receiver tandem itself in Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk.
