Sunday 27 October 2019 20:24, UK
Cooper Kupp had 220 receiving yards as Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams sliced apart the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley in a 24-10 win.
Kupp’s 65-yard touchdown on a double-reverse trick play - with the game tied 10-10 - gave LA a lead they would not let go as they shut out the Bengals for the rest of the game.
Wideout Kupp was already up to 165 yards on five catches at half-time, but the Rams pulled away in the second half. Goff threw for 372 yards and two touchdowns in an efficient downfield performance, and the Rams' defense had five sacks.
Early on, the Bengals tried to get their ground game going - they came into the tie with the league’s worst rushing attack (and defense) - and Joe Mixon opened the game with a 13-yard pickup and ended the half with 53 rushing yards and a one-yard touchdown through the air in reply to LA's first score.
But while the Bengals were struggling to move the ball in chunks, the Rams took to the air early and started breaking big play after big play.
On their opening drive, both Robert Woods and Kupp picked up 20-plus yards to move the chains, but Cincinnati were sturdy at the goal-line as the Rams settled for a Greg Zuerlein field goal.
After the Bengals had replied with three points of their own, Goff drove his team 92 yards down the field in seven plays, with Kupp heavily involved again. He had pickups of 32 and 23 yards, before Josh Reynolds took advantage of a busted coverage to stroll wide open into the end zone from 31 yards out.
Mixon’s one-yard response came at the end of an 11-play, 75-yard drive in which he powered for a first down on fourth-and-one from the team’s own 45-yard line, and backup Giovani Bernard broke free for a 25-yard gain.
At 10-10, it looked like we had a close game on the way. But Sean McVay didn’t travel all the way from the West Coast to London not to bring some entertainment, and he offered up one of the great trick plays we have seen in the International Series.
Kupp took the ball from Goff on an end-around, tossed it to Woods who gave it back to Goff, and he found a wide-open Kupp down the right sideline. A slip by a Bengals defender allowed him to race 65 yards to the house.
There was no more scoring before the half, but on the opening drive of the second, the Rams asserted their authority again.
Kupp had been finding himself wide open for his 165 first-half yards but this time, he was covered tightly by two Bengals and Goff still managed to loft a 40-yard completion to his wideout on third-and-10.
Four plays later, running back Todd Gurley strolled in from three yards out to make it 24-10.
Despite a late Bengals drive ending in a turnover on downs - following an outstanding grab by Auden Tate - and the final drive of the game ending in an overturned Tate touchdown, the Rams saw out their victory.
The Rams' win was, however, tarnished by the fact receiver Brandin Cooks suffered another concussion after missing time earlier this season and having recurring issues over many years. He entered the concussion protocol after a scary-looking hit in the first quarter.
After their bye week, the Bengals (0-8) host AFC North rivals Baltimore, before heading to Oakland to face the Raiders.
The Rams (5-3), meanwhile, will come back after their week off and head to Pittsburgh, followed by a home game against the Bears.
