The ‘ocho’ route: Cooper Kupp’s filthy move on TD vs. Bucs has people buzzing

If Marcus Peters were still on the Rams, he’d have gone crazy yelling his patented phrase, “Cooper Kupp! That’s a nice route!” after the wideout scored his second touchdown against the Buccaneers on Sunday. Because, well, the route was absolutely filthy.

It came with 7:23 left in the third quarter, capping off a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive by the offense. Lined up to the right of the formation next to Tyler Higbee, Kupp broke outside like he was running a speed out. He then geared down and turned toward the backfield as if he was going to run a pivot route back to the inside. The corner broke on the ball just as Kupp went back to the outside for an easy grab, slipping into the end zone for six.

Matthew Stafford put the ball in a perfect spot and the timing was impeccable, which allowed this play to go for a touchdown. Without chemistry between the quarterback and wideout, this play doesn’t work. But clearly Stafford and Kupp have a rapport already through three games.

Sean McVay was asked about this route on the “Coach McVay Show” Monday and he called it the “ocho” route, which he says Kupp invented himself.

“That’s the ‘Ocho’ route. That’s an Omaha-China-Out,” he said. “It takes timing. It takes a great feel. That’s a route that Cooper kind of invented himself, so you’ve got to give him the credit. Him and Matthew made it come to life. We did a great job protecting right there but that’s one of those deals where when you’ve got the right kind of guys that have autonomy and ownership, they make a suggestion, sometimes you’ve got to see it. We’d been practicing that one a handful of times and Cooper’s consistently done that in practice and it’s nice to be able to see that come to life and he did a great job on it.”

As you might’ve expected, Kupp’s slick route generated a ton of buzz on the internet and from analysts. Peter Schrager and Golden Tate broke the play down on “Good Morning Football” and were in awe of it.

Tate even said he’s never seen a route like that in all of his years of watching football.

Pro Football Focus gave Kupp a shoutout for it, too, calling it nasty – which it was.

Alex Rollins shared the all-22 version of the play, highlighting Kupp’s route at the top of the screen.

Kupp is regarded as one of the best route runners in the NFL, which is why he’s able to be so successful as a wideout. He’s not the biggest, fastest or most explosive guy on the field, but he sets defenders up with fakes and knows how to find voids in the defense.

He’s off to an incredible start, ranking tied for first in the NFL with 25 catches and leading all players with 367 yards and five touchdowns, earning even more recognition nationally than he got the last four years.

So long as he and Stafford continue to build on the connection they’ve already established, Kupp should maintain his high level of play in 2021.