Cooper Kupp capped one of the best seasons ever for a receiver with a game-winning touchdown with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVI.
Kupp was the MVP of Sunday’s game, recording eight catches for 92 yards and a pair of TDs.
The play that Kupp scored on wasn’t always going to be a pass. After the game, Kupp said that it was a “run-alert,” which meant that if the defense showed a certain coverage, it would turn into a pass.
That happened, with Kupp matched up one-on-one with Bengals cornerback Eli Apple.
“We were able to alert things, alert and throw a little fade ball out there,” Kupp said. “Eli Apple had been playing me pretty well the entire game, really came up, challenged me, [was] doing a really good job with that. And cover zero, you’ve got that inside leverage, so I tried to just weave to his leverage, make him move in a little bit, jab him one time and be able to just give Matthew some room to put the ball wherever he wanted to.
“And he made a great back-shoulder throw and I was able to come down with it.”
Kupp won the regular-season triple crown, leading the league in catches, yards, and receiving touchdowns — enough to get him named this year’s AP offensive player of the year. And then he set the record for most postseason catches with 33.
In all 21 regular and postseason games, Kupp tallied 178 receptions, 2,425 yards, and 22 touchdowns.
“I just feel so undeserving of all these awards and accolades because I feel like I’ve played it from a place of freedom,” Kupp said. “I’ve just allowed myself to be in the moment every single time. [I’ve know] that there were going to be guys alongside me to make this thing come to life. I’m just so thankful for them.
“All these things, they’re truly team awards. You aren’t a successful receiver without all the other 10 guys on the field doing their jobs. So each of those guys who I stepped on the field with, just so incredibly thankful for them.”
Whether or not Kupp feels deserving, what he did in the 2021 season is flatly historic. And now he’ll have a ring to show for it.
