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Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp are in rhythm and have Rams' offense rolling
Woods and Kupp were too much for the Bucs, but the Rams' receiver duo wants to reverse recent struggles against the rival 49ers on Sunday.
The Los Angeles Rams' offense had recently been waning, and the production of wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods was on the decline, but Woods vowed that the duo would remain patient.
"Big plays with Cooper and myself," Woods said before a Week 11 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, "it will come."
Perhaps Woods had an inkling that the pair was bound for a big role, or maybe their patience just paid off, because in a 27-24 victory over the Bucs, Woods caught 12 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown and was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, and Kupp caught 11 passes for 145 yards.
The duo became the second set of teammates with 10 catches and 100 receiving yards in a single game in Monday Night Football history, joining the Kansas City Chiefs' Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce -- who accomplished the feat in a 2018 Week 11 thriller against the Rams -- according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
And, according to the Rams, Woods and Kupp became the first receiver duo in team history to each have 10 catches in a single game.
"Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods were outstanding," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "You talk about guys creating their own tough catches in crunch-time moments."
Expect more to come Sunday at SoFi Stadium, as the NFC West-leading Rams (7-3) prepare for a rematch against the 4-6 San Francisco 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox), who defeated them 24-16 in Week 6.
"Those are two of our playmakers and guys we want to get the ball to a little bit more often and we were able to and you see what happens," said Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who was 39-of-51 for 376 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions, against the Bucs. "Those guys looked as good as they've looked all year and it's exciting. It's hopefully the beginning of an uphill trajectory at this point, they're playing really good ball and we're excited about it."
Before the season, the Rams signed Kupp to a three-year, $47.3 million extension and gave Woods a four-year, $65 million deal.
Woods is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has caught 54 passes for 599 yards and five touchdowns in 2020. He also has rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Kupp also produced a 1,000 receiving yard season in 2019 and is on pace for another, with 64 catches for 722 yards and two touchdowns.
Last Monday, the Bucs effectively stopped the Rams' run game, giving up only 37 rushing yards, prompting the Rams to adapt and utilize their passing game. But Goff said McVay also went into Week 11 with the intention of getting Woods and Kupp more involved.
Woods credited a fast start -- including a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive -- for their ability to reestablish themselves and get in rhythm.
"It was just a credit to the game flow, really, feeling how it was playing out, felt like we were executing on our quick plays, quick passes, quick tempo, really just catching us some looks," Woods said. "Then I feel like for me, just being involved in the quick-pass game, being able to run some routes downfield, and really just keep this offense and the momentum of our drives going."
The challenge will be replicating the performance Sunday against the 49ers, who have won their previous three matchups against the Rams and who effectively shut down their passing effort in Week 6, when Goff was held to only 198 passing yards in what several players characterized as an uncharacteristic team performance.
Woods was targeted 10 times but had only four receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown, and Kupp caught three passes on nine targets for 11 yards.
On Sunday, the 49ers are expected to be without several starters as their team deals with various injuries and players who have been put on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
However McVay said there would be no letup in the Rams' preparation and approach.
"They've beat us three straight times," McVay said. "You flip on the film and I don't care who's playing, who's not, they find a way to compete and do a great job."
Coming off Monday night's win, Goff expressed confidence that the Rams are hitting their stride at the right time.
"We can be as good as we want to be, honestly," Goff said. "We have some division games coming up -- some big ones -- but, everything is there for us to take and we have to take it one week at a time and keep playing good ball. I think our defense is still playing outstanding and the better we can be on offense, I think we're really close to being where we want to be."
