Cooper Kupp's return will dramatically help Jared Goff on play-action

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Selassie I

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https://theramswire.usatoday.com/20...lay-action-jared-goff/?utm_source=thescoreapp

Cooper Kupp's return will dramatically help Jared Goff on play-action

Cooper Kupp’s absence was undeniably felt for the Los Angeles Rams last season after he tore his ACL in Week 10. Sure, the Rams exploded for 54 points in Week 11 against the Chiefs in that Monday night shootout, but the offense wasn’t the same the rest of the way.

Jared Goff obviously suffered the most, seeing his stats slide without Kupp on the field. That’s understandable considering that Goff’s passer rating when targeting Kupp is 129.9 in his career. Kupp was Goff’s security blanket underneath, oftentimes coming open for easy completions and first downs.

Play-action is where Goff missed Kupp the most. According to Pro Football Focus, his play-action numbers plummeted without Kupp.

With Kupp out, there was no facet of the Rams’ offense that was impacted more than play action — which is less than ideal for a quarterback that used it at the second-highest rate in the NFL last season. Goff’s play-action passing grade dropped from 93.0 prior to Kupp’s injury to just 66.4 after his exit. Even though his passer rating only dropped 20.0 points from 125.9 to a somewhat respectable 105.3, the film showed the two different sides of Goff’s play with and without Kupp on the field.

Play-action is a huge part of the Rams offense. Defenses have to account for Todd Gurley, so when they see play-action, they can’t help but react to the fake handoff.

With how often the Rams run play-action from under center, Goff frequently turns his back to the defense when he fakes the handoff to Gurley. That’s not easy for a quarterback to do, but having Kupp running crossers or underneath routes definitely helps Goff.

According to PFF, “Goff has targeted crossing routes 16.3% of the time in that span — more frequently than any other route.” That’s no surprise considering Kupp’s 90.4 receiving grade and 4.29 yards per route run on crossers both rank in the top 10.

The Rams offense should get back to the way it was playing early in the 2018 season once Kupp returns. He may not be a full participant in training camp, but he’s expected to be ready for Week 1, which is most important. You can bet there won’t be anyone happier to see the Eastern Washington product back out there than Goff.
 

Akrasian

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https://theramswire.usatoday.com/20...lay-action-jared-goff/?utm_source=thescoreapp

Cooper Kupp's return will dramatically help Jared Goff on play-action

Cooper Kupp’s absence was undeniably felt for the Los Angeles Rams last season after he tore his ACL in Week 10. Sure, the Rams exploded for 54 points in Week 11 against the Chiefs in that Monday night shootout, but the offense wasn’t the same the rest of the way.

Jared Goff obviously suffered the most, seeing his stats slide without Kupp on the field. That’s understandable considering that Goff’s passer rating when targeting Kupp is 129.9 in his career. Kupp was Goff’s security blanket underneath, oftentimes coming open for easy completions and first downs.

Play-action is where Goff missed Kupp the most. According to Pro Football Focus, his play-action numbers plummeted without Kupp.

With Kupp out, there was no facet of the Rams’ offense that was impacted more than play action — which is less than ideal for a quarterback that used it at the second-highest rate in the NFL last season. Goff’s play-action passing grade dropped from 93.0 prior to Kupp’s injury to just 66.4 after his exit. Even though his passer rating only dropped 20.0 points from 125.9 to a somewhat respectable 105.3, the film showed the two different sides of Goff’s play with and without Kupp on the field.

Play-action is a huge part of the Rams offense. Defenses have to account for Todd Gurley, so when they see play-action, they can’t help but react to the fake handoff.

With how often the Rams run play-action from under center, Goff frequently turns his back to the defense when he fakes the handoff to Gurley. That’s not easy for a quarterback to do, but having Kupp running crossers or underneath routes definitely helps Goff.

According to PFF, “Goff has targeted crossing routes 16.3% of the time in that span — more frequently than any other route.” That’s no surprise considering Kupp’s 90.4 receiving grade and 4.29 yards per route run on crossers both rank in the top 10.

The Rams offense should get back to the way it was playing early in the 2018 season once Kupp returns. He may not be a full participant in training camp, but he’s expected to be ready for Week 1, which is most important. You can bet there won’t be anyone happier to see the Eastern Washington product back out there than Goff.

Even with Kupp back, they need another guy who can run that well as a safety valve on fake handoffs, if that is so key for Goff. There should always be an alternative, both because of injury and to make it harder for defenses to predict what will happen.
 

Ram65

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Rams need a slot pass catcher to back up Kupp. IIRC Rams were moving the WRs around to the slot. Playing slot is not Reynolds strong suite. That UDFA WR Alex Bachman could be nice fit.

Goff was able to rely on Kupp as he is great at getting separation and making tough catches look easy. Many times Goff would hit Kupp late with the rush coming making his throws less accurate and Kupp would make the catch. Many times Goff would hit Kupp on quick third down routes for first downs. On play action fakes Kupp could get behind LBers easily and find open space. More than everyone Goff is looking forward to Kupp's healthy return.
 

PressureD41

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I think D Henderson can help eat up some of those play action passes in the slot