Football Super Bowl

Rams WR Cooper Kupp named Super Bowl MVP: 'I don't feel deserving of this. God is just so good'

By Jon Ackerman Feb 13, 2022
Announcer Mike Tirico interviews Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) after their win in Super Bowl LVI, Feb. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

Capping an incredible, historic 2021-22 season, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp was named Super Bowl MVP on Sunday night, after he helped his squad to a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

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He finished with eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and none was more important than the game-winning touchdown catch with 1:25 remaining.

He even ran the ball once for seven yards on the final drive to convert a fourth-and-1 from their own 30-yard line. Kupp is the eighth wide receiver to be named Super Bowl MVP and the first since New England wideout Julian Edleman three years ago in Super Bowl LIII.

When interviewed on the field after the game, Kupp gave glory to God.

“It just comes down to this team, how we’ve prepared, the way we’ve loved on each other, trusted each other,” he said. “I don’t know, I don’t feel deserving of this. God is just so good. I’m just so thankful for the guys I get to be around, for the coaches, for my family.”

Following the Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl MVP presentation, Kupp was able to enjoy the moment on the field with his family — wife Anna, and sons Cooper and Cypress. He then spoke to the media with 1-year-old Cypress on his lap.

And Kupp shared a vision he says God revealed to him three years ago as he was walking off the field after the Rams lost Super Bowl LIII, which he was unable to play in due to a torn ACL.

“In 2019 we walked off the field that last time after losing to the Patriots; I wasn’t able to be a part of that thing,” he said. “But I don’t know what it was, there was just this vision God revealed to me that we were going to come back, we were going to be part of a Super Bowl, we were going to win it, and somehow I was going to walk off the field as the MVP of the game.

“I shared that with my wife because I couldn’t tell anyone else obviously what that was, but from the moment this postseason started, there was just a belief every game that it was written already. It was written already and I just got to play free knowing that I got to play from victory, not for victory. I got to play in a place where I was validated not from anything that happened on the field but because of my worth in God and my Father.”

Kupp continued on to reiterate that he felt undeserving of such an honor because of all the players and coaches who have helped him. He said all those he’s been able to play with this year have been “the perfect team, the perfect setup.” He was then asked how the vision was revealed to him.

“It was just walking off the field. It was as clear as day,” he said. “I walked off the field, I turned around before walking back through the tunnel and it just hit me. It was as clear as I can see you guys here right now. Pretty incredible.”

After being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday, Kupp now joins Hall of Famer Joe Montana (1989) as the only players to win OPOY and Super Bowl MVP in the same season. Furthermore, Kupp’s eight catches gave him 33 for the postseason, setting a new record for most receptions in a single postseason. And his 478 receiving yards this postseason trail only Larry Fitzgerald (546 yards in 2008) for the most in a single playoffs.

The stellar postseason comes after Kupp won the receiving triple crown by nearly rewriting the NFL record book with 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns in the regular season. He was up for NFL MVP, but that went to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — though Kupp did become the first wideout to receive a MVP vote since 1998. All told, in 17 regular-season games and four playoff games, Kupp collected 178 catches, 2,425 receiving yards (the first receiver ever to go over 2,000 yards) and 22 touchdowns this season.

Also, according to ESPN, Kupp joins Jerry Rice as the only other receiver in NFL history to win the receiving triple crown, the Offensive Player of the Year award and the Super Bowl MVP in an entire career — yet Kupp did it in a single season.

Earlier this week when speaking to the media, the 28-year-old had no problem identifying his major takeaway from an unforgettable year, and he pointed to his faith in Christ on multiple occasions.

“I think the thing that He has taught me is that you will find that you are most fulfilled, you will find the most joy, when you are rooted in your purpose, and specifically rooted in His purpose for you,” Kupp said. “That, to me, has been one of the best things about this year.”

Unsurprisingly, he was named a first-team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl, the first time he received either recognition. All of the numbers are a result of Kupp’s main focus, which is giving glory to the Lord.

“My motivation coming in every single day is to run the race in such a way as to honor God and the passions and the talents that He’s given me,” Kupp said. “When I’m rooted in that, I am in a great place. I am able to play freely.”

One Kupp’s favorite Bible passages is 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, which says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

After winning the Super Bowl and being crowned MVP, Kupp posted on social media, “Do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

 

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A post shared by Cooper Kupp (@cooperkupp)


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