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Lindsey ThiryESPN
LONDON — Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff once said he shared a telepathic relationship with receiver Cooper Kupp. On Sunday, in a 24-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium, their connection appeared strong as Kupp caught seven passes for a career-high 220 yards and a touchdown.
In the first half alone, Kupp caught five passes for 165 yards, surpassing his previous career high of 162 yards set last season in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Kupp’s first-half receptions included a 21, 25, 31, 23 and 65-yard catch — which came on an improbable double-reverse flea flicker. Goff handed off to Kupp, who handed off to receiver Robert Woods, who flipped the ball back to Goff, who then launched a 65-yard pass to Kupp for a touchdown.
Kupp’s 165 first-half receiving yards were the most by a Rams player since Marshall Faulk had 168 on Dec. 26, 1999 vs. the Chicago Bears, according to ESPN Stats and Information.
All five of Kupp’s first-half receptions went for at least 20 yards, making him the first player to accomplish such feat in a single half since former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson in Week 17 of 2011 vs. the Green Bay Packers.
In the second half, Kupp caught a 40-yard pass that helped put the Rams in position for a 3-yard touchdown run by Todd Gurley.
Describe the game in two words: Job complete. It wasn’t always pretty, but 10 days after the Rams departed on a two-game road trip, with stops in Atlanta and London, they will return to L.A. 2-0, and remain in the hunt for a third straight division title.
QB breakdown: Goff continued to build momentum from last Sunday’s performance, completing 17 of 31 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals. In the second quarter, Goff dropped a perfectly-placed pass behind the defense for a 31-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds, then later threw a 65-yard pass off a double-reverse perfectly to Kupp, who ran it in for a touchdown.
Running back tracker: Before the game, coach Sean McVay said the Rams needed to “be more efficient in the run game, snap in and snap out, and kind of figure out that identity.” It didn’t appear the run-game riddle was solved against the Bengals, as Gurley rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, and did not play in the fourth quarter. Rookie Darrell Henderson rushed for 49 yards on 11 carries and a caught a 6-yard pass. It will be interesting to see if any solutions to get the run game moving during the bye week.
Promising trend: Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is the latest victim of the Rams pass rush. A week after sacking Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan five times, they sacked Dalton on five occasions. Outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr., coming off a career-high three sacks against Ryan, had 1.5 sacks Sunday, as did Obo Okoronwko, who was playing in only his second game on defense. Aaron Donald had a sack, and Michael Brockers and Cory Littleton each had 1/2 sack.