Cooper Kupp after Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images); (Inset) The Pete Rozelle Trophy given to the Super Bowl MVP during the Super Bowl LVI head coach and MVP press conference at Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 14, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Few in the NFL have been so highly lauded yet claimed so little credit as Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Speaking to reporters after winning the Super Bowl MVP, and Lombardi Trophy, on Sunday, Feb. 13, Kupp humbly passed the glory of his achievement to the Lord above.
“It just comes down to this team, how we’ve prepared, the way we’ve loved on each other, trusted each other,” the 28-year-old player 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.”
The LA wide receiver, who scored the winning touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals, also revealed a vision he had three years earlier—a vision only one other person knew of—predicting the Super Bowl victory.
Cooper Kupp, number 10 of the Los Angeles Rams, celebrates after Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“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.”
Cooper Kupp reacts with Matthew Stafford, number 9, following a touchdown reception during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Cooper Kupp after Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Humble or not, the only other player to win Super Bowl MVP and Offensive Player Of the Year in the same season—as Kupp has—is Hall of Famer Joe Montana. Kupp also joins Jerry Rice as the only receivers in NFL history, according to ESPN, to win the triple crown, Offensive Player Of the Year, and Super Bowl MVP in their career. Which Kupp did in one season.
Kupp’s star shone brightly that particular Sunday. The Super Bowl Rams’ 23-20 win saw Kupp make 8 receptions for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns—including the game-winning catch with 1:25 remaining. NFL on Twitter lauded the player’s stellar performance, tweeting: “IT'S BEEN COOPER KUPP ALL YEAR. HE DOES IT AGAIN.” The player himself on Instagram handed the credit, once again, to a higher power. Posting a video of himself kneeling penitently in prayer in a montage of photos, he captioned, “Do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
Cooper Kupp runs with the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 26, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Pete Rozelle Trophy given to the Super Bowl MVP is seen during the Super Bowl LVI head coach and MVP press conference at Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 14, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Nor was Sunday the first time Kupp placed faith highly. In the week leading up to the Sunday showdown, he elucidated more on how God shapes his game, telling reporters:
“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,” he said. “That, to me, has been one of the best things about this year.”
He added, “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. When I’m rooted in that, I am in a great place. I am able to play freely.”
Cooper Kupp celebrates after Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Michael Wing is a writer and editor based in Calgary, Canada, where he was born and educated in the arts. He writes mainly on culture, human interest, and trending news.
