Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp stands on the field before a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 11.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A week after catching 14 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions, Cooper Kupp suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter after catching a pass and turning it into a 24-yard gain.
He caught four passes for 37 yards before he was injured, and did not play in the second half.
Coach Sean McVay provided no specifics, but Kupp exited the locker room with a knee-high protective boot encasing his left foot and ankle.
“Ran across the field and did a really nice job, and then was limping a little bit,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said when asked when he was aware that Kupp was hurt. “And he doesn’t usually limp for too long. Sometimes you get stepped on and you limp for a minute and walk one off.
“But we’ll see what that is. Obviously, a huge part of our team and a huge part of our offense.”
Kupp, 31, began the season optimistic that his injury woes of the last two seasons were behind. An ankle injury cost him most of the 2022 season, and hamstring and ankle issues sidelined or slowed him in 2023.
If Kupp is sidelined for any length of time, he would join Puka Nacua. The second-year pro, who set NFL rookie receiving records in 2023, is on injured reserve for at least three more games because of a knee injury suffered against the Lions.
Stafford now must rely on Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington.
“Continue to grow with those guys and try to help them out as much as I possibly can,” Stafford said. “Give them good passes to catch and let those guys do their thing.”