Rams' Cooper Kupp Named Super Bowl 56 MVP; Caught Game-Winning TD

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp won the Super Bowl LVI MVP award after catching eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

The Rams went on a 15-play, 79-yard drive in 4:48 to take the three-point edge with 1:25 left.

During that drive, Kupp caught four passes for 39 yards and the game-winning score.

That's in addition to a seven-yard rush from Kupp when the Rams faced a 4th-and-1 from their own 30-yard line.

Kupp made the touchdown snag on 2nd-and-goal from the Bengals' 1-yard line.

He also caught an 11-yard score in the beginning of the second quarter to give the Rams a 13-3 lead:

The Associated Press' Offensive Player of the Year finished the regular season with 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. 

The Rams were dealt a significant blow when wideout Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a non-contact left knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. Beckham had caught two passes for 52 yards and one touchdown at the time.

After that point, the Rams offense stalled, scoring just three points in 41-plus minutes of game time.

However, Kupp carried the Rams when they needed him most, as his yearlong chemistry with quarterback Matthew Stafford shined through.

The OPOY added 33 catches for 478 yards and six touchdowns in the playoffs. The catch mark is an all-time playoff record.

His 2021 performance is more remarkable when considering Kupp's come a long way since high school:

Kupp's 2018 NFL season also ended following eight games after suffering a torn ACL.

He's back and better than any wide receiver out there right now, and his excellence was on full display.

Quarterbacks typically win the MVP award, but this was an occasion to break the mold.

This marked just the eighth time a wide receiver won a Super Bowl MVP. The last time this happened was Feb. 2019, when the New England Patriots' Julian Edelman took the honors in a 13-3 win over the Rams.

Kupp didn't get to play in that game because of his injury. This time around, Kupp made the most of his opportunity and propelled the Rams to the Lombardi Trophy.