At the beginning of the season when everyone was screaming for the Cincinnati Bengals to take an offensive lineman to protect Joe Burrow, nobody would’ve predicted their number one pick would be considered one of the best wide receivers of the season.
However, that’s where we are. Ja’Marr Chase can, is, and should be compared to the triple-crowned Cooper Kupp which should serve fans one of the best wide receiver clashes in recent years.
Heading into the Super Bowl, the two of them have a combined total yardage receiving of 3,402 which will get the mouths watering of all neutrals across the world.
Cooper Kupp To Share The Workload?
While Kupp is the undisputed best wide receiver this season, all of his achievements have certainly brought about more coverage and focus on him from the opposition which will surely be the same at Sofi Stadium.
Sean McVay knows that his star receiver turns up when called upon having picked up the most first downs and recorded the most touchdowns in the NFL this season. However, in the playoffs, it was Odell Beckham Jr that came up clutch when it mattered against the San Francisco 49ers especially.
Therefore, it appears that McVay has found a way to get crucial plays completed without Kupp which could see him play a less crucial role than he has throughout the campaign for the LA Rams.
There’s no doubt that someone of Kupp’s ability at catching and route running will be shunned for Beckham. He could very easily end the game with the most targets and receiving yards, but when it comes to short downs and crucial plays, Matthew Stafford could easily look Beckham’s way as he clearly trusts him a lot more now.
The former Cleveland Brown has not had a game with a catch percentage less than 75% since the Week 17 defeat against the 49ers, showing he’s more than settled into this offense which has come at the most crucial time of the season.
Chase To Light Up The Big Stage?
While Kupp has to compete with players such as Beckham and Van Jefferson, Chase’s main rivals for receptions has been Tee Higgins, although the likely return of C.J. Uzomah could see him take a lot of shorter yard gains.
Chase picked up Offensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday which is testament to how superb he’s been but with this Rams defense consisting of in-form Aaron Donald and Von Miller getting pressure on the most sacked quarterback this season, it will be tough to give Chase a chance for many big plays.
Even if Burrow does find time and space and evade sacks as he did against the Kansas City Cheifs amazingly, he’s then got to find a way of getting the ball to Chase, while avoiding one of the league’s greats in Jalen Ramsey who’s made four interceptions and defended against 16 passes successfully this season.
However, as he’s proven this season, Chase is a fearless wide receiver who’ll relish playing against anyone on any given stage having racked up 279 receiving yards during the playoffs, showing he really is a big-stage player.
If Uzomah is back to full fitness and strength, then Burrow may well see him as a better option to pick up short, quick downs when being pressured by the likes of Donald and Miller which would see Chase’s yardage severely decrease.
Although, if the Bengals’ offensive line can hold up as they did against the Chiefs and less like they did against the Titans, then lining up Chase away from Ramsey could well lead to one of the great battles between wide receivers.
While the Bengals’ journey to the Super Bowl has been magical and made everyone see what’s possible with a good core of players, smart drafting and a top head coach, it feels like this could be one step too far.
Kupp has been scintillating this season and there’s no reason why with home stadium advantage and numerous seasons under his belt that he can’t outperform Chase and also even collect the Super Bowl MVP award.
Thanks for reading my article on who will perform better between Cooper Kupp and Ja’Marr Chase. For more great content follow me @AHindhaugh98 and OTH Football on Twitter!
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