Cooper Kupp out for Rams vs. Seahawks Week 1 game
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp had to see a specialist about a hamstring injury a couple of days ago, which led many to question his status for a Week 1 meeting with the Seattle Seahawks. Well, on Wednesday, September 6th, Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed that Kupp will miss the opening week of the regular season. He also mentioned that a stint on IR can’t be ruled out, which would cause the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year to miss at least four games.
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Sean McVay would not rule out placing Cooper Kupp on injured reserve. https://t.co/XrkOpFNBOx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 6, 2023
The Seahawks opened as 4-point favorites in this Week 1 matchup, but the line is now up to 5.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Also, the total is down from 51.5 to 46. All in all, this is a brutal blow for Los Angeles. Kupp missed eight games with an injury last season, but he’s just two years removed from a 2021 season in which he caught 145 balls for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s one of the best wide receivers in the entire league, and he’s one of the few elite talents on this Los Angeles team.
Without Kupp, this offense could really struggle to score points. Not only is Matthew Stafford a complete unknown at this point in his career, but the Rams aren’t exactly deep at wide receiver. They’ll be looking to Van Jefferson and rookie Puka Nacua a lot more than they originally expected, and it’s unclear whether that will be sufficient for a Los Angeles team that is hoping to get back to playing some competitive football this season.
The best-cast scenario would now be for Kupp to return for a Week 2 date with the San Francisco 49ers. But that seems a little optimistic considering the circumstances. Los Angeles’ win total is down from 7.5 to 6.5 now. That’s not a great sign for the long-term outlook of this team. And if the Rams do end up losing Kupp for multiple weeks, they could find themselves in a race with the Arizona Cardinals for who will finish at the bottom of the NFC West standings.
Make sure you’re constantly checking our VSiN Injury Report for Kupp’s status over the next couple of weeks. We’ll have updates as soon as they’re available to the public. And plenty of our VSiN analysts will have thoughts on that Rams-Seahawks game, so make sure you look out for more NFL stories throughout the week — or at least check in on the Pro Picks page.
