Cooper Kupp is aware of the buzz about the Rams possibly trading him.
But the veteran receiver’s focus Thursday night will be on returning to the lineup for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in the second week of the season.
“I’m feeling really good,” Kupp said this week as the Rams prepared for their game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium.
It remains to be seen whether the Rams will move on from the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year by the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline — or keep him if coach Sean McVay’s injury-plagued team shows signs of mounting a turnaround and playoff drive for the second season in a row.
That makes the “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the Vikings pivotal on several fronts.
Read more: Cooper Kupp will play Thursday, but will it be his last game with the Rams?
The Rams are 2-4 after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday but now every game is like a playoff game for them.
A victory over the Vikings (5-1), who suffered their first loss in a last-minute defeat to the Detroit Lions, would give the Rams their first back-to-back victories. It also would reinforce their belief that they can repeat a 2023 turnaround that saw them rebound from a 3-6 start to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs.
That probably cannot happen unless injured players continue to return.
Receiver Puka Nacua participated in two jog-throughs this week and is listed as questionable for Thursday night, but that seems like pure gamesmanship. Is McVay going to risk playing the second-year pro without the benefit of full practices?
But if Kupp returns to form — he caught 14 passes for 110 yards and touchdown in the season opener — and Nacua and offensive linemen Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson and Joe Noteboom eventually return, mounting a push in the wide-open NFC West is still possible.
The Rams and Vikings have much in common.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator during their Super Bowl-championship season in 2021. Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and assistants Thad Bogardus and Chris O’Hara also were members of Sean McVay’s staff.
The Vikings roster includes several former Rams players, including running back Cam Akers, tight end Johnny Mundt, receiver Brandon Powell and backup quarterback Brett Rypien.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores never coached under McVay, but the Rams will not forget their last encounter with an aggressive defense overseen by Flores. In 2020, when he was head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Flores’ defense perplexed and dominated the Rams.
The Vikings are similarly aggressive: They are third in the NFL with 24 sacks.
“The teams that haven’t matched them physicality-wise, that haven’t matched them intensity-wise have been blown out,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said.
So the Rams must protect quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Read more: Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings: How to watch, prediction and betting odds
The Raiders hit Stafford 10 times, the second game in a row that the 16th-year pro absorbed at least 10 blows.
The short week did not provide Stafford — or any Rams or Vikings player — with much time to recover.
“I feel pretty good so I’ll be all right,” Stafford said. “At that point, it’s a mind-set. They put the ball down on the tee, kick it off, and I don’t care how you feel, it’s time to go and I know our guys understand that.”
Some players embrace the short turnaround.
“Thursday games are the best because it’s just like, quick install, get everything out there and let’s just go play,” Rams edge rusher Michael Hoecht said. “They’re a lot of fun.”
Read more: NFL Week 8 picks: Rams seek first winning streak as Vikings come to town on short week
The Rams defense enjoyed itself against the Raiders. Cornerback Cobie Durant intercepted a pass and forced a fumble that safety Kam Curl returned for a touchdown. Safety Jaylen McCollough intercepted two passes.
“Once you have a little bit of success, now you can go out and start playing a little more free,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “I think that hopefully it’s what’s happened, and hopefully that’s what’s going to continue to happen.”
Kupp seeks a similar feeling.
“I don’t like coming off the field,” he said. “I would love to be able to play as much as I possibly could and that’s going to be my mind-set.
“When I’m healthy, I can do it.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
