Catching the ball is only half the journey for the Rams' dynamic receiving duo, whose work starts once they've secured a Jared Goff pass.
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YAC kings: Rams' Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp masters at picking up yards after catch
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught a pass over the middle, slipped two tackles, then sprinted before he was thrown out of bounds after a 37-yard gain in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11.
Later that game, Robert Woods caught a short pass, then spun inside, where a few blockers opened space for him to take off for a 35-yard gain.
The duo was a nightmare for the Bucs to take down, but that defense is not alone. Flip on the film from nearly any game this season or last, and you'll see the same.
Woods and Kupp have made a living -- literally, they both signed whopping extensions this offseason -- catching the ball and then fighting their way through traffic to pick up yards after the catch.
"Sometimes people take the approach that the play starts when the ball is snapped and kind of ends when you catch the ball," Kupp said, "but for us ... there's a new play that starts as soon as you catch that ball."
Last season, Woods and Kupp -- both 1,000-plus-yard receivers -- finished with 577 and 544 receiving yards after the catch, respectively, which ranked sixth and 11th in the NFL.
The only other team to have two players who finished among the top 11 in yards after catch was the New Orleans Saints with wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara.
This season, with the Rams 9-4 and in first place in the NFC West as they prepare to play the winless New York Jets Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox), Woods and Kupp are at it again.
"They're both quick-twitch athletes that have a natural feel for the work edges, which is why they're good separators as receivers," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "But when the ball's in their hands in a lot of instances that kind of translates."
Kupp has 869 receiving yards and has picked up more than half his yards -- 481 to be exact -- after the catch (ranks fourth). Same with Woods, whose 457 yards after the catch (eighth) make up more than half of his 796 receiving yards.
Since trading speedy wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans this past offseason, McVay has rarely utilized the deep pass. Quarterback Jared Goff is averaging 6.18 air yards per attempt, which ranks 33rd out of 35 qualified passers.
Instead, McVay and Goff have played it somewhat conservative, which has also played to the strengths of Woods and Kupp.
Goff has passed for 3,509 yards, 1,946 of which have been picked up after the catch, an amount that ranks second in the NFL only to the Kansas City Chiefs' 1,961.
"It's a big part of the game plan and a big part of what we do weekly is just knowing that we have those guys and their ability to catch the ball, either on screens or on a lot of our keepers that we do, and get up field," said Goff, who has thrown 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. "Part of my job is to put the ball in front of them so they can run after the catch and if I do that, they usually do the rest. It's a pretty good combo."
"Having a quarterback who is able to put you in stride and rhythm that allows you to make those plays, I think it all contributes to that success with the ball in my hands," said Woods, who signed a four-year extension worth up to $68 million before the season.
Picking up yards after the catch is something of an art form. It involves instincts and vision, but also plenty of practice.
"There is somewhat of a skill to that and an intentionality in practice to be able to not just run your route to catch the ball," said Kupp, who signed a three-year, $47.3 million extension before the season, "but also run your route to catch the ball and know where people are so you can run afterwards."
Woods spends his offseason visualizing making moves, not only on his defender but on all 11 players who will pursue him after the catch. After he visualizes it, Woods puts the work into action.
"You got to definitely work it every single day at practice," said the eighth-year pro, who is 204 yards shy of a third consecutive 1,000-receiving-yard season.
McVay says Woods' and Kupp's natural run instincts and toughness set them apart.
As for whether Woods would rather break free for a deep ball -- like the 56-yard touchdown in a Week 5 win over the Washington Football Team -- or work through traffic for every last yard?
"You catch a deep one ... it's super exciting, you beat the guy, you burnt 'em," Woods said. "But it's also a different feeling when you catch it quick and you make guys miss and you outrun everybody."
