A mid-season Thursday night between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings normally wouldn’t be on the radar of many Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans. But the Rams 30-20 upset victory could play a major shift in their and the Steelers’ plans going forward when it comes to WR Cooper Kupp’s future.
With their win, Los Angeles is now 3-4 on the season and on a two-game winning streak. It puts them right in the thick of the NFC West race, now with the same record as the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers and within striking distance of the first-place 4-3 Seattle Seahawks.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Rams’ head coach Sean McVay implied the team was shutting the door on trading away Cooper Kupp.
“We’re really glad to have Cooper Kupp with us, and it’s going to stay that way,” McVay said via Rams’ beat writer Adam Grosbard.”
McVay took time to address the speculation that’s picked up around Kupp over the last week.
“Here’s what I’ll tell you,” he told reporters via the team’s YouTube channel. “Teams reached out. Some of the things that I’ve seen out there, they’re just not true. We’ve addressed that with those individuals. Teams have called about him and really we let him know what the dialogue was there. And then there’s a lot of stuff out there where there’s not a lot of accountability to the reports. And that’s unfortunate.”
He then called reports of Kupp being dealt “speculation.”
Once staring down the prospects of a loss season, their odds of making a playoff run and keeping Kupp have just been boosted. Kupp played a part in their victory. Returning for the first time since a Week 2 ankle injury, he finished the game with 5 receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown. The score came from 7-yards out in the second quarter while his most crucial catch came to help chew clock, a 28-yard grab on 3rd down ahead of the two-minute warning.
While the Rams couldn’t close out the clock after that first down and punted away, Minnesota QB Sam Darnold was sacked for a safety two plays into the following possession, giving the Rams two points, the ball, and the game.
Los Angeles got back both their top receivers with Puka Nacua also re-entering the lineup. He didn’t miss a beat, racking up seven catches for 106 yards in the win.
The NFL trade deadline still isn’t for, as of Friday, another 11 days. The league adopted a Steelers’ proposal to push the deadline back one week. And a loss by the Rams to the Seattle Seahawks could have them re-thinking their season plans. But even so, they’d be 3-5 and not completely out of the running. A team would likely have to meet their reported demands of a second-round pick in order for them to consider parting with Kupp. If those are even true, which McVay seemed to push back on post-game. Kupp and McVay have had a close relationship, both integral parts of the organization’s success and Super Bowl victory. McVay’s words postgame were clear and confident about holding onto him.
With Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, and DeAndre Hopkins off the board, if the door closes on Kupp, the Steelers will be left with few options. Good ones, anyway. It could narrow the field down to New York Jets’ WR Mike Williams, still likely to be moved by the Jets before the deadline. Other names could include New York Giants WR Darius Slayton, who the Steelers will see Monday night.
