In the NFC championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams there was a play Early in the fourth quarter where Matthew Stafford fines Cooper Kupp open in the end zone for 11-yard touchdown pass. In this breakdown we are going to take a look at how Kupp got open on the left side of the end zone.
Play Diagram:
Play Breakdown:
In the image above, the Rams come out in a 3 by 2 formation with an empty look and 11 personnel on the field.. Three receivers are lined up to the left, while two receivers are lined up to the right.
Van Jefferson and Kendall Blanton both run inside routes towards the post. These two pass routes will play an important role in getting Kupp open as he goes towards the left sideline.
Kupp runs this past route underneath those two routes and towards the left side of the end zone.
The 49ers match up in man coverage.
In this particular man coverage defense called by the 49ers, K’Waun Williams is in man coverage on Kupp.
Once the ball is snapped Williams presses Kupp at the line of scrimmage.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford looks down towards the middle of the field to hold strong safety Jaquiski Tartt so he will not cheat towards Kupp on the left side.
Kupp does an excellent job at getting free from the Press coverage and is able to get a step on Williams.
Stafford sees this immediately and looks towards Kupp to make the throw towards the left sideline.
In the image above we show Stafford making the throw to cup as he heads towards the left part of the end zone.
The result is a touchdown for the Los Angeles Rams making the score 17-13 with 13:35 left on the play clock.
Video Clip:
https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/highlights/play/type/team/2021/week/playerId/2022013001/2803
