Rams’ Cooper Kupp earned Super Bowl 56 MVP award

» Watch a replay of Cooper Kupp’s MVP news conference:

Kupp caught 8 of 10 targets for 92 yards and two touchdowns. On the final drive, he drew two key penalties on the Bengals before beating cornerback Eli Apple on the touchdown play.

On the final 15-play drive, Kupp picked up a fourth-and-1 with a 7-yard gain on a jet sweep. He caught four passes for 39 yards and drew a holding call on linebacker Logan Wilson and a defensive pass-interference call on Apple.

“(Matthew) Stafford and I have spent a ton of time together,” Kupp said. “I was adding it up in the car on the way over here, the extra time outside of the obligatory time is north of 500 hours this season … when you get in those moments, it just becomes second nature.”

Kupp joined Joe Montana (1989) as the only player to win The Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player trophy in the same season. Kupp had one of the greatest seasons in the history of the league and became the leader with most catches (33) in the postseason. Kansas City’s Travis Kelce had the previous mark of 31.

Kupp won the wide receiver triple crown as he led the league in catches (145), yards receiving (1,947) and touchdowns (16). He averaged 114.5 yards per game, which was also tops in the league. He also is the only player to have at least 200 yards and a touchdown on five different routes this season, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

For the playoffs, he had 478 yards and six touchdowns to go with the 33 catches.

The Bengals reached the Super Bowl by mixing and matching their coverages in the second half and overtime of the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs. With the game on the line, they didn’t have a good enough plan for Kupp.

This Super Bowl victory was extra special for Kupp because he suffered a torn Achilles during the 2018 season and missed Super Bowl 53 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. He was on the sidelines as the Rams failed to score a touchdown in the 13-3 loss to New England.

The Rams trailed the Bengals 20-16 before going on their game-winning march.

“We believed in what our process was,” Kupp said. “Win or lose, we found ways to get better. … we were able to string together some wins and bring it all the way through.”

Here’s what Kupp had to say after the game:

(On his thoughts after learning he was named Super Bowl MVP) “That is not really where my mind was. I was just looking at my family and looking at my wife and my boys coming out here. They have sacrificed, and they have been through it with me; they have encouraged me through. I mean, my wife has been with me since senior year in high school. She has been through all of it, and she has seen it all. She knows the sacrifices because she has lived the sacrifices herself as well. It was so amazing to see them while I was up on the podium. In 2019, we walked off that field that last time after losing to the Patriots. I was not able to be a part of that thing, but I do not know what it was but there was this vision that God revealed to me that we were going to come back and we were going to be a part of a Super Bowl, we were going to win it, and somehow I was going to walk off the field as the MVP of the game. I shared that with my wife because I obviously could not tell anyone what that was. From the moment this postseason started, there was a belief that every game that it was written already, and I just got to play free knowing that. I got to play from victory not for victory. I got to a place where I was validated not because of anything that happened on the field but because of my worth in God and in my Father and I am just so incredibly thankful. In that moment you are talking about I was so undeserving of what that was and that moment because the people I have been able to play with and the people I have been around and the players I get to play with and to get to come into work every single day, the coaches that I get to work with to collaborate with, it has just been the perfect team, the perfect setup, I am just so thankful for everyone that has been around me. It still really has not hit me.”

(On the vision he had) “I was just walking off the field – it was as clear as day – I was walking off the field and I turned around before walking back to the tunnel and it just hit me. It was as clear as I can see you guys here right now. Pretty incredible.”

(On the route he ran for the game-winning touchdown) “We had a little run alert in and we call the run if we get the look we want to – we ended up getting a zero on that one. Alert and throw a little fade ball up there. (Bengals cornerback) Eli Apple had been playing me pretty well the entire game. He really came up and challenged me. He did a really good job with that. Coverage zero, you got that inside leverage so I tried to weave to his leverage and make him move in a little bit and make him jab one time and be able to give (quarterback) Matthew (Stafford) some room to put the ball where he wanted to and he made a great back shoulder throw and I was able to come down with it.”

(On his strong fourth quarter) “It is really about trusting your guys. Whatever my job is going to be, I just want to execute to the best of my ability. If that is sometimes run blocking, pass blocking, running to get someone else open, setting picks, whatever it is. I just want to achieve my job to the best of my ability, and I trust that as the game goes on I will have opportunities as well, and I just want to stay ready for those things and stay locked in. Sometimes you are on the backside of the play and you know the ball is not coming to you, but being able to work a good release and good route and have a little recon to saying when I come back to this, when it is time for the ball to come my way, I have set this DB up in this way and there is playing that game within the game.”

(On his career path from Eastern Washington) “I don’t really think about it. It is just part of my journey. I was supposed to go to Eastern Washington and I met so many great friends and so many guys from my time at Eastern that were standing up there with me at my wedding. Lifelong friendships, even people, just the community in Cheney, Washington, I was just able to make relationships there. It was just a special place for me to be. I was surrounded by some really good people, some receivers and coaches that taught me a ton, challenged me and pushed me. That was just where I was supposed to be so I do not hold any regrets or feel any grudge toward anyone. I am just thankful for the path I have been on.”

(On converting the first down on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter) “We tried to match it up and make it look like there was a QB sneak coming, try to get guys to pinch, and just get out on the edge. The belief in (head coach) Sean (McVay) that I was just going to be able to get the ball and just be able to get 1 yard. I was really worried. Just trying to get body on body, get me the ball on the edge and try to get 1 yard was the idea behind that.”

(On his achievements this season) “I just feel so undeserving of all these awards and accolades because I feel like I have played from a place of freedom and I have just allowed myself to be in the moment every single time there is going to be guys alongside me to make this thing come to life. I am just so thankful for them and all of these things are team awards. You don’t have a successful receiver without all the other guys doing their job, so each of those guys who has stepped on the field, I am so incredibly thankful for them.”

(On the last drive) “(Head coach) Sean (McVay) did a great job. We were kind of in a hurry on that whole last drive. Being able to keep them from setting some rushes but also keeping them in zone calls where you can kind of put some pressure on them and get calls they just feel comfortable playing and zone some stuff off and allow (quarterback) Matthew (Stafford) and I to find some soft spots in there.”

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