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INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) The Los Angeles Rams are desperately hoping their No. 1 receiver is about to return to their lineup.
The Las Vegas Raiders are finally beginning life without their own top pass catcher.
Two offenses that have struggled this season without their most dynamic playmakers will meet Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The Rams (1-4) host the Raiders (2-4) in a meeting of Los Angeles' two favorite NFL teams.
Cooper Kupp is hoping to play for the first time since spraining his ankle in Week 2 for the Rams, who have stumbled out to the worst start of Sean McVay's career. Record-setting rookie Puka Nacua has also been out with a knee injury since Week 1, but Kupp's significant presence on and off the field is vital to Los Angeles' entire identity as a team.
“There's just a calming presence when a guy like Cooper Kupp is on the field,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “He's been there, he's done that. There's just certain things that he just gets, he sees. Just the small, minute alignments in defenses, and the information he brings back to coaches, there's just a reason he's had the success he's had. He's a tremendous athlete and receiver, but he's got a mind that's pretty unique."
McVay has acknowledged the difficulty of trying to move the ball without the Super Bowl 56 MVP, saying Kupp's absence has altered his play-calling “significantly.”
“I’ve been with Cooper for eight years, and there’s a certain comfort,” McVay added. "There’s an understanding of what he does, what he’s comfortable with (and) where he can really bring value in a lot of different things over the years. (His absence) certainly does change some things.”
In their first game since Tom Brady joined the franchise as a minority owner, the Raiders are about to find out what they'll be like without receiver Davante Adams, the six-time Pro Bowler traded to the Jets on Tuesday.
Adams missed the past three games with a hamstring injury, and Las Vegas hasn't topped 20 points in a game without him. Coach Antonio Pierce benched Gardner Minshew last week and replaced him with Aidan O'Connell, who led the Raiders on last year's late-season surge that secured the full-time job for Pierce.
But neither Vegas quarterback can typically match up to Matthew Stafford, who appears to be healthy after enduring back soreness before the Rams' bye week.
“He can throw the ball from anywhere, everywhere, every angle,” Pierce said. “We go against Patrick Mahomes twice a year, and if you (need) a good warmup for Patrick coming up in a couple of weeks, it’s good to go up against a Matthew Stafford.”
The Rams are coming off their bye, but they've also got another home game against Minnesota on Thursday night. That crowded schedule could be a factor in whether Kupp plays Sunday against Vegas or waits five more days, McVay acknowledged.
The Rams are impressed by Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who is coming off a career-best nine catches for 71 yards in a loss to Pittsburgh last week. The Georgia product will become even more indispensable to Las Vegas' offense in Adams' absence. “He can do a ton of things,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “They can line him up anywhere. Unbelievable, whether it's getting open, catching the ball or even after the catch.”
The Rams' unimpressive defense provides an opportunity for O'Connell to get rolling again. Los Angeles is 28th in total defense and last in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 157.6 yards per game. The Rams also have just nine sacks in five games despite strong rookie seasons so far from edge rusher Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske.
Rams running back Kyren Williams has scored a touchdown in eight consecutive games going back to last December. If he gets in the end zone again Sunday, he'll match the NFL's fourth-longest streak with a rushing touchdown since 2000. Williams' steady production has been the bedrock of the Rams' offense, even though his touches decline when Los Angeles falls behind each week and is forced to throw even more.
The Rams' backup quarterback is Jimmy Garoppolo, who played seven games for the Raiders to begin a $67 million contract last season before getting benched on Halloween in favor of O'Connell.
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