During the offseason, Cooper Kupp co-founded a coffee company.
And when the veteran Rams receiver returned to the lineup Thursday night after a four-game absence, the recently moribund offense anticipated a welcome jolt.
What it got was an unexpected double shot.
Receiver Puka Nacua also returned to the lineup and the two stars helped the Rams defeat the Minnesota Vikings 30-20 before 72,127 at SoFi Stadium.
Kupp caught a touchdown pass and Nacua amassed 106 yards receiving as the Rams won their second game in a row and improved their record to 3-4.
Matthew Stafford tossed two touchdown passes to receiver Demarcus Robinson, one to Kupp and one to running back Kyren Williams, and rookie edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young sparked the defense as the Rams followed last Sunday’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders by handing the Vikings (5-2) their second consecutive defeat.
Kupp’s and Nacua’s performances buoyed a team that defeated the Raiders 20-15 and gave players confidence that they could repeat last season’s turnaround from a 3-6 start that ended in the playoffs.
But that probably could not happen without Kupp and Nacua — as well as several other projected starters still on injured reserve.
Kupp, who had been sidelined because of an ankle injury, caught five passes for 51 yards and drew several pass-interference penalties. Nacua, activated Thursday after spending five games on injured reserve because of a knee injury, caught seven passes.
The question now is whether the Rams will ponder trading Kupp with an NFC West game against the Seattle Seahawks coming up next on Nov. 3 — two days before the NFL trade deadline.
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The 2021 NFL offensive player of the year spent the early part of the week answering questions about speculation that the Rams might move on because of their poor start and Kupp’s huge contract.
“I’ve got to control what I can control,” he said Tuesday. “And right now that means being the best L.A. Ram I can be and I’m going to continue to do that.”
While Kupp’s return Thursday night was expected, Nacua’s was something of a surprise. The second-year pro had been on injured reserve because of a training-camp knee injury he aggravated in the season-opening defeat to the Detroit Lions.
Nacua did not practice last week, and the Rams opened his 21-day window to return Monday. He was listed as limited after jog-throughs Tuesday and Wednesday.
But about four hours before kickoff, the Rams announced that Nacua had been activated to the roster. He was not on the list of inactive players that was released 90 minutes before the game, but it was still unclear how much, if at all, Nacua might play.
Nacua started and, after dropping a pass on the first play, went on to look like the player who established NFL rookie receiving records in 2023.
Stafford, who had entered the game with only three touchdown passes this season, completed 25 of 34 passes for 279 yards and the four touchdowns with an interception.
Kyren Williams rushed for 97 yards in 23 carries.
The score was tied 14-14 at halftime after Stafford tossed touchdown passes to Williams and Kupp, and Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold connected with tight end Josh Oliver and receiver Trent Sherfield Sr. for touchdown pass plays.
Early in the third quarter, Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted a Stafford pass. The Vikings appeared on their way to a touchdown when Jefferson made a spectacular sideline catch at the Rams’ four-yard line, but the Rams forced the Vikings to settle for a field goal and a 17-14 lead.
Stafford rebounded from the interception to put the Rams in the lead. Mid-range passes to Tutu Atwell and Nacua set up a 25-yard touchdown pass to Robinson and a 21-17 lead.
After another Vikings field goal, Kupp drew a pass-interference penalty that set up Stafford’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Robinson, extending the lead to eight points.
With less than two minutes left, Young sacked Darnold in the end zone for a safety that gave the Rams their final 10-point margin. Television replays appeared to show that Young had grabbed Darnold’s facemask on the tackle, but the officials did not spot the penalty and the play was not reviewable.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
