INGLEWOOD, Calif. — All season, whenever the Los Angeles Rams needed a big play, it was receiver Cooper Kupp who delivered it.
And when it mattered most on Sunday night in Super Bowl LVI, it was Kupp who found a way to finally get the Rams back to the top of the NFL mountain as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 to win the Lombardi trophy for the first time in more than 22 years.
Kupp caught the game-winning 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford and finished with eight catches for 92 yards and two scores en route to earning the game’s Most Valuable Player award. He’s the eighth wide receiver to win Super Bowl MVP and the first since the New England Patriots‘ Julian Edelman in Super Bowl LIII.
An emotional Kupp deflected the spotlight after the win.
“I just don’t have words,” Kupp said. “I’m just so thankful for everyone.”
After a quick start Sunday, Kupp — who won the NFL’s receiving triple crown by leading the league in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns — didn’t get the ball much for most of the middle of the game. He had one catch for 13 yards in the second half before the Rams’ final offensive series.
Then, when he was needed most, Kupp took over. On the final drive, Kupp had four catches for 39 yards and the game-winning score. That came despite the Bengals’ best effort to keep him from getting the ball.
Before the final score, Kupp drew three straight penalties, a defensive holding, a defensive pass interference and an unnecessary roughness to set up the final score.
Kupp was 7-1 to win the MVP at Caesars Sportsbook.
Kupp’s performance put the finishing touches on a stellar postseason in which he set a record for receptions (33), and tied for the second-most receiving yards (478) and receiving touchdowns (six) in a postseason in NFL history.
Kupp caught a touchdown in each of the Rams’ four postseason games, making him the second player in league history to catch a touchdown in four consecutive playoff games, along with former Arizona Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald.