FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
These are the palms the Rams want.
The tandem accounted for 3 touchdowns in Sunday’s 28-22 victory at New England, reliably reeling within the pinpoint passes of Matthew Stafford.
However the two buddies have a barely completely different approach of going about their enterprise. Kupp, true to his central Washington roots, has the gritty grip of a farmhand.
“You’ve got to have some callouses to you,” he mentioned. “It’s all about the handshake.”
Nacua, in the meantime, infants his palms. He routinely will get a manicure and a shiny white polish utilized to his fingernails.
“I get my feet done as well. They cut off all the dead skin and stuff like that,” he mentioned. “I get it once a week. Try to be consistent so they don’t get too bad. As a wide receiver, these are my moneymakers so I’ve got to take care of them.”
No matter works. And Sunday, that combo did the trick for the Rams. Nacua led all receivers with seven catches, together with a diving Superman seize for a 12-yard landing. He sacrificed his physique on the play and wanted a number of moments to recapture his breath earlier than slowly making his method to the sideline, the place he was briefly checked within the blue medical tent.
Kupp caught six passes, amongst them touchdowns of 5 and 69 yards. The latter was the workforce’s longest offensive play of the season and got here on a zero blitz, which means the Patriots despatched extra cross rushers in lieu of conserving a security again to assist in protection.
As they’ve so usually, Stafford and Kupp took full benefit of the chance. That they had a thoughts meld earlier than the snap, Kupp adjusted his route and Stafford put it in his palms. Second play of the second half, landing. Eleven-point lead. Gillette Stadium silenced.
“I put it to a good spot and he did the rest,” Stafford mentioned.
The Rams made essentially the most of their comparatively few alternatives. They ran 51 performs in contrast with 70 by the Patriots, and held the ball for 15 fewer minutes than the house workforce. Then once more, Nacua scored on a one-play drive and Kupp on a two-play drive, in order that they had been quick-strike artists.
What does all this imply? It’s nonetheless onerous to attract a bead on this workforce. The Rams began 1-4, and since have gone 4-1. But, we don’t but know if they honestly flipped a U-turn. They got here into Sunday recent off an upset loss to Miami the Monday earlier than.
Good groups win the video games they’re imagined to win. The Rams ought to have overwhelmed the three-win Patriots, they usually did. However additionally they ought to have overwhelmed the Dolphins, who had two wins on the time. Now the Rams are 5-5 with three division video games remaining, and essential NFC West wins over San Francisco and Seattle of their pocket. They nonetheless have a robust pulse.
Cooper Kupp (10) scores the Rams’ first landing in opposition to the Patriots on a five-yard cross. Kupp completed with six catches for 106 yards and two scores.
(Michael Dwyer / Related Press)
An enormous take a look at comes Sunday night time at SoFi Stadium in opposition to Philadelphia, with the Eagles using a six-game successful streak.
“We’ve got a super-hot team coming into town,” Rams coach Sean McVay mentioned. “This is what you love. It’s a great challenge.”
It’s clear the Rams are a special workforce with a wholesome Kupp and Nacua on the opposite finish of Stafford’s passes. The workforce discovered methods to win some video games with Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and tight finish Colby Parkinson as the primary targets, and people gamers have executed a decent job, however Kupp and Nacua elevate the offense from semi-dependable to harmful.
Nacua is in his second season. Kupp has been within the league since 2017 and doesn’t thoughts needling his buddy a bit, particularly concerning the palms.
Earlier than Sunday’s recreation, when the temperature was 59 levels at kickoff, Nacua advised Kupp he may go in and get some hand heaters.
“I was like, ‘Hey, you might need a reset,’” Kupp mentioned, smiling. “I said, ‘Go back in the locker room and come back out here with the right mindset.’ … You take care of your hands, but you don’t need to be doing all that stuff. Just make sure everything is working properly.”
Nacua concedes he’s gotten more and more specific about doing every part he can to maximise his efficiency. That features after the sport donning a pair of rose-tinted sun shades that block blue gentle.
“They help me fall asleep,” Nacua mentioned, “and we’re getting ready to fly home. They’re part of my nighttime routine.”
Earlier than zipping up his bag, he dug out a pair of the glasses for Kupp, who promptly put them on.
In spite of everything, for all of the Rams, their world ought to look somewhat rosier after Sunday.
