LA Rams WR Cooper Kupp’s Triple Crown puts him in MVP discussion

Triple Crown

In short, Cooper Kupp is the best NFL wide receiver of 2021. How much better than the rest? A lot better than anyone else who caught passes in the NFL it seems. He caught 145 passes, where the next best was Green Bay Packers, Davante Adams, with 123 receptions. Kupp recorded 1,947 yards receiving, whereas the second best, held by Minnesota Vikings Justin Jefferson, was 1,616 yards. Even his touchdown total of 16 TDs outpaced that of second-place Mike Evans, who put up 14 touchdowns this year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kupp’s season was so utterly incredible, that it is nearly equal to the second plus third-best seasons of his NFL career. That’s pretty awesome, and an achievement we will likely not witness again in our lifetime.

Kupp makes the record books

In terms of Rams Franchise All-Time Single Season receiving records, Kupp’s 145 receptions and 1,947 receiving yards are both record-setting. His 16 touchdowns on the season fell one short of Elroy Hirsch’s 1951 record-setting 17 touchdowns in a single season.

In terms of the NFL All-Time Single Season receiver records, Cooper Kupp did not set any records. But he certainly threatened to do so. His 16 receiving touchdowns have him tied for 15th-place on the All-TIme NFL records. His 1,947 receiving yards place him firmly in second place, just 17 yards shy of Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson’s 1,964-yard record set in 2012. And his 145 receptions place him firmly in the NFL record books at second-place, just four catches shy of the record set by New Orleans Saints Michael Thomas of 149 set in 2019.

Kupp’s performance this season has been epic. And it’s that rarity that has NFL analysts so befuddled. Everyone entered this year focused upon the same familiar names like Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, that it never occurred to them that a wide receiver by the name of Cooper Kupp could put up such historically great numbers. It’s not his performance that is lacking. Rather, it’s the perception of those who vote who may miss the historic significance to the NFL of what Kupp has truly accomplished. But there is more work to do.