Buccaneers’ Bruce Arians on defense allowing key reception to Rams’ Cooper Kupp: ‘Some guys didn’t blitz’

It appeared as if the Buccaneers vs. Rams divisional round matchup was destined to go to overtime after Tampa Bay mounted a massive second-half comeback.

The Bucs erased a 27-3 Rams lead to tie the game 27-27 with 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Rams had just one timeout left, and after team burned it following a 1-yard run by Matthew Stafford, it was presumed that LA would play for OT.

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Instead, coach Sean McVay trusted Stafford to make two big throws. The second one, a 44-yard bomb to Cooper Kupp, set up a game-winning field goal by Matt Gay that knocked Tampa Bay out of the playoffs.

On the play, Kupp drew one-on-one coverage by a safety over the middle. That was considered strange, as Kupp led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns during the regular season. He also came up 17 yards short of breaking Calvin Johnson’s NFL record for receiving yards in a season.

So why did the Buccaneers choose to cover Kupp with just one man, and a safety, at that? Coach Bruce Arians told reporters after the game that the Bucs called for an all-out blitz but something went wrong.

“Some guys didn’t blitz. I don’t know if they didn’t get the call but it was an all-out blitz,” Arians said. “We should have gotten a ton of pressure.”

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All-out blitzes leave receivers in man-to-man coverage, and since the Bucs blitzed off the slot, where Kupp was lined up, he was matched up with a safety. That’s why Kupp was able to get so open. And because some defenders perhaps missed the blitz call, Stafford had ample time to find Kupp downfield.

Stafford, meanwhile, said that he identified a blitz presnap, so he was prepared to get rid of the ball quickly.

“I felt it after the snap,” Stafford said during his news conference. “Kind of recognized it was going to be an all-out pressure and was able to put it to a good spot. And Coop made a great catch.”

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Stafford also noted that once he identified the blitz, he knew Kupp would be his top option despite the fact that the receiver’s route would normally be a decoy.

“You’re really never getting the ball,” Stafford said, calling Kupp’s route a “love of the game” route. “You’re just clearing out some area, working for some other routes. They decided to bring everybody and that’s really the best option at that point.”

“It felt like it hung up there forever,” Kupp said. “Matthew did a great job just buying time, putting the ball up, letting me run underneath it. I’m not sure how he knew exactly where I was going to end up so quickly, but just a great job of hitting me in stride.”

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Because of Kupp’s catch and Gay’s subsequent make, the Rams will be hosting the NFC championship game next week against their divisional rival the 49ers.

And all thanks to an apparent miscommunication by the Bucs’ defense.