NFL | RAMS
Rams: Stafford hails 'always fantastic' Kupp on NFL record
Cooper Kupp made NFL history as the LA Rams boosted their hopes of topping the NFC West with a big win over the Cardinals.
Matthew Stafford hailed "always fantastic" wide receiver Cooper Kupp after the Los Angeles Rams star made NFL history on Monday Night Football.
The Rams improved to 9-4 with a key 30-23 road win against divisional rivals the Arizona Cardinals.
Kupp had a career-high 13 catches for 123 yards and the game-winning touchdown, one of three thrown by Stafford in the contest.
The 28-year-old, who has never previously reached the Pro Bowl, has racked up 90 or more receiving yards in nine straight games as part of an electric streak.
Per NFL Research, Kupp has tied the record held by Hall of Famer Michael Irvin (1995) and his Rams team-mate Odell Beckham (2014) for the longest such streak in the last 70 seasons.
Stafford: Kupp a "great player, great team-mate"
Quarterback Stafford suggested Kupp would have had more yards but for two wayward pass attempts and paid tribute to his continued impact.
"He was fantastic – he always is," Stafford told ESPN when he was asked about Kupp. "Great player, great team-mate for us. Does a lot of the dirty work for us, too.
"I missed him on a couple and I wish I would have put a couple out in front to give him a chance to run. I'm just excited for our team and we have got to continue to build on this."
Kupp has a chance to become the first receiver to end a season with the triple crown of the most receptions, yards and touchdowns since Steve Smith in 2005 with the Carolina Panthers.
He is leading the league in all three categories through Week 14.
The Rams' win came despite the absence of five players due to covid-19 protocols, including Jalen Ramsey and Tyler Higbee who were both ruled out on the day of the game.
"At the end of the day, you deal with all that stuff," Kupp said. "You just have to control what you can control. By the time the game starts, that stuff is over and done with and you have just got to move forward.
"Next man up, do your job play in and play out, just execute the best you can and we did well enough just to squeak out a W."
The Cardinals remain top of the NFC West – but now have the Rams in hot pursuit – and have dropped to the same record (10-3) as the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the conference standings.
"We lost, and obviously everybody wanted to win," Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said. "It was a big game for us, but I'm not discouraged by what happened."