The Los Angeles Rams’ disappointing season continued with a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10 to fall to 3-6 on the year. As if a third consecutive defeat wasn’t bad enough, the team lost star wide receiver Cooper Kupp to an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter.
Kupp sustained a high ankle sprain after attempting to make a catch and getting hit low by cornerback Marco Wilson. Kupp was ruled doubtful to return and never came back.
Rams head coach Sean McVay indicated after the game that Kupp suffered a major injury. McVay provided an update to reporters on Tuesday, revealing that Kupp will undergo ankle surgery later this week and be placed on injured reserve, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Rams’ WR Cooper Kupp is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery Wednesday and the team is placing him on IR, per HC Sean McVay. Kupp is out a minimum of four weeks and with the way the Rams season is going, could be longer.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 15, 2022
Kupp himself later took to Twitter to thank everyone for the well wishes he had received:
Thanks to everyone who has reached out and sent prayers! This is unfortunately just part of the game. Appreciate having a trusted medical team around me. Gonna get this thing fixed, then get back to work to get back to work!
— Cooper Kupp (@CooperKupp) November 15, 2022
With Kupp heading to IR, he will be forced to miss at least the next four weeks. The Rams’ opponents during that span are the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders.
With the Rams’ playoff chances already not looking good, Kupp’s absence puts a damper on any hopes of a turnaround.
The Super Bowl LVI MVP has been the only source of consistency on offense this season. He leads the team with 75 catches, 812 yards and six touchdowns, and also has one rushing touchdown.
If the Rams continue to slide with Kupp sidelined, it wouldn’t be surprising if they shut him down for the remainder of the year and look ahead to the 2023 season.
