Sean McVay still trusts Cooper Kupp on punt returns after costly fumble
There were several game-changing plays in Sunday’s Rams-Eagles contest, none of which were bigger than Cooper Kupp’s fumble before halftime. It was a mistake by the usually reliable receiver, not only for fielding a punt inside his own 5-yard line, but then coughing the ball up and giving the Eagles terrific field position.
It hurt even worse that the fumble came with less than a minute left in the first half and with the Rams leading 21-9. The Eagles quickly turned the takeaway into seven points, drawing to within five points before the break.
Sean McVay endorsed Kupp as the Rams’ punt returner last week and despite his fumble on Sunday, he isn’t wavering on that decision.
“In some of those situations, it’s just the trust in him to be able to field it. I still have the same trust in Cooper Kupp,” McVay said after the game. “He’s going to be a huge part of everything that we do. He ended up making a couple of guys miss, then the ball got a little bit loose. Those are great learning opportunities. Like any great competitor, it’s about your ability to respond. He ended up closing out the game for us on a jet sweep on a third-and-2. That was great situational awareness to stay inbounds so we can take a knee and run the clock out. Not at all worried about that, but those are things we can all learn from. My confidence in Cooper doesn’t change at all.”
Nsimba Webster remains on the roster and was expected to be the Rams’ primary punt returner this season, but he has yet to field a punt in two games. It sounds like that won’t change, either, with Kupp likely remaining the team’s punt returner.
As costly as the mistake was, it’s not at all surprising to see McVay stick by his playmaker moving forward.
