The Los Angeles Rams have come away with a pivotal win to move to 3-4 on the season, taking down the Minnesota Vikings (5-2) on Thursday night, 30-20. This proved to be a game where each team was matching the other throughout the night until the second half when L.A. began to pull away.
Both offenses came out of the gate with their hair on fire, scoring touchdowns on four consecutive trips to begin the game. Sam Darnold was a perfect 4-for-4 on the opening possession of the night for 49 yards, which included a touchdown to tight end Josh Oliver. It took Los Angeles just four minutes of game time to respond, orchestrating an opening touchdown of their own as Matthew Stafford connected with running back Kyren Williams.
Then they mirrored 10-play, 70-yard scoring drives, with Trent Sherfield hauling in a 10-yard touchdown from Darnold to give Minnesota a brief lead before Cooper Kupp's 7-yard score knotted the game back up 14 apiece.
It was at that point when the defenses started to clamp down. The first stop of the night came at the 9:20 mark of the second quarter as the Rams pass rush got to Darnold to force an incomplete pass and the game's initial punt. Brian Flores and the Minnesota defense responded in kind, as they volleyed punts for the remainder of the first half.
For a moment, it looked like the tides were going to turn in favor of Minnesota, picking off Stafford on the opening drive of the third quarter. The offense took the ball down to the L.A. 5-yard line, but the Rams defense stood tall to force the field goal to make it just a 17-14 Vikings lead. Stafford bounced back on the ensuing possession, propelling the Rams ahead with a sensational 25-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson in the closing minutes of the third.
That proved to be a theme throughout the second half: Minnesota being held to field goals while Los Angeles found the end zone for touchdowns. That was the case again to begin the fourth quarter as the Rams started to distance themselves. They stopped the Vikings at the L.A. 17-yard line to force a field goal and then responded with a 70-yard touchdown drive that not only put them up 28-20 but chewed 6:30 off the clock, helping them cruise to a victory and possibly thrusting themselves back into the playoff conversation.
In their return to the field, the Rams offense was dramatically improved with wideout Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp in the fold. Nacua finished with seven catches for 106 yards, while Kupp had five grabs for 51 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Stafford had four passing touchdowns on the night.
The storyline that will come out of this game is how much better the Rams offense looked with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back in the fold. And that's true. When targeting that duo, Stafford completed 12 of his 17 targets for 157 yards and a touchdown. Their presence also opened things up for the likes of Demarcus Robinson to bring in two touchdowns and opened more running lanes for Kyren Williams (97 yards rushing).
That said, the Los Angeles defense was the backbone of this win. Coming into Week 8, the Rams were allowing 151.7 rushing yards per game, which ranked 30th in the league. Their 4.7 yards per carry allowed over that stretch also ranked in the bottom third of the league. In this game, they held Aaron Jones -- who had been having a career year to this point -- to just 58 yards on 3.1 yards per carry.
After a frantic first half, the defense clamped down in the red area and limited the Vikings to two field goals, while also applying pressure on Sam Darnold throughout the night. For a team that had just 11 sacks coming into this game (fifth-fewest in the league), they were able to take Darnold down three times and tally six quarterback hits.
If the Rams can pair that type of defensive effort to what we know their ceiling is offensively, they can turn their season around.
The offense ran out of steam after piling up 14 points on back-to-back drives in the first quarter. After that, they were outscored 23-6 by the Rams. While they could get deep into Los Angeles territory, they couldn't get over the hurdle of the goal line and settled for field goals. In the second half, Minnesota converted just one of their four third-down opportunities.
Brian Flores' defense was able to apply some pressure onto Stafford, but couldn't get home recording zero sacks for the first time this season. That inability to fully rattle didn't make life easier for the secondary, who was torched by Nacua and Kupp. Even when they bottled those two up, Stafford had no problem finding his other outlets, completing 13 of his 17 target to pass catchers other than Nacua and Kupp for 122 yards and three touchdowns.
Up 21-20 at the 9:20 mark of the fourth quarter, Sean McVay was faced with a decision. The Rams were in a fourth-and-1 situation at the Minnesota 29-yard line. Instead of kicking the field goal to go up by four, McVay kept his offense on the field and Kyren Williams barreled forward 3 yards to move the chains, keep the ball out of the Vikings hands, and keep the clock ticking. Not only that, but later in the drive would go up by eight after Matthew Stafford connected with Demarcus Robinson for their second touchdown of the night.
After going, Los Angeles' defense forced a three-and-out on the following Vikings possession, which was essentially curtains for their comeback hopes.
Just when you think you've seen it all, Justin Jefferson digs into his bag. Midway through the third quarter following an interception off of Stafford, the Vikings wideout made his submission for catch of the year. With the ball at the Los Angeles 31-yard line, Sam Darnold floated a ball up the left sideline for Jefferson. While being held on his right side, he initially reeled in the ball with his left hand, bobbled it, and somehow secured the catch with his right hand sandwiching the ball off the side of his helmet. And he managed to tap both feet in bounds. Jefferson finished his night with eight catches for 115 yards. Just another day at the office, right?
From here, both of these teams enter a mini-bye before hitting the field again in Week 9. Minnesota will head back home and await the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday for a game that was recently flexed to prime time. Meanwhile, the Rams will gear up for a road matchup in Seattle against the Seahawks.
This is a huge win for the Rams, who now move to 3-4. We'll see what that means for them at the trade deadline. And the Vikings have now lost two in a row after starting the season with five straight wins.
Byron Young probably just sealed the game with this sack of Sam Darnold in the end zone. Stretches the Rams lead top 10 points. Also, he absolutely got away with a ridiculously blatant facemask. To the point that he was grabbing his helmet because it seemed like he was angry at himself for it. Yikes. Inexcusable missed call.
Oh wow. The ref is calling Cooper Kupp out of bounds on that play. (And he definitely was out of bounds.) HUGE break for the Vikings, who now get an extra 40 seconds to work with on their last-ditch drive.
Just a fantastically-designed play from the Rams right there. Everybody flowing to Puka on the motion into a bubble screen look, and Kupp sneaks out after faking a block and heads up the sideline for a big gain. Huge third-and-long conversion.
BAD mistake by Sam Darnold right there. Cannot take a sack to lose that many yards in that situation.
Once again, Matthew Stafford throws a touchdown pass. He now has more of them in this game than he did on the entire season coming into tonight. Great protection by the offensive line, Stafford was free to step up and find Demarcus Robinson coming across the field. Surgical stuff from L.A.'s offense tonight. Minnesota has ZERO sacks and Stafford has barely been bothered all evening.
Stafford: 23-32, 243 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Minnesota drove down into the red zone but ultimately stalled out and settled for three points, cutting L.A.'s lead to one. Interesting choice from O'Connell to kick on fourth-and-4 deep in Rams territory.
Sam Darnold showed off a bit of the off-schedule creation right here. Steps up and away from pressure and lofts a beautiful ball up the sideline. Great catch from Aaron Jones, who did a good job of getting right to the ground so he didn't go out of bounds.
What an absolutely perfect throw from Matthew Stafford. You couldn't place this ball any better if you tried. Right in between two defensive backs and into the waiting arms of Demarcus Robinson. Sheesh. Stafford had three touchdown passes coming into this game, and now has three tonight.
Second huge play of the night from Byron Murphy. That should have been a touchdown for Tutu Atwell but Murphy played the ball in their air better than Atwell did. Poor ball skills by Atwell. Put his hands up way too early if he wasn't going to try to jump for the ball. Allowed Murphy to get the deflection without even turning around to play the ball.
What an absolutely outrageous catch. Tried to one-hand it, tipped it to himself, and then pinned it against the inside of his helmet with his other hand while getting both feet down inbounds. Good lord.
Star Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw is OUT for the game with a knee injury, the team announced. Huge loss up front. Let's see how Kevin O'Connell and Co. adjust for his absence.
Stafford had played a pretty much flawless game for the opening 33 minutes, but he made a pretty big mistake here. His pass intended for Demarcus Robinson sailed wayyyy over Robinson's head, and Murphy made him pay for it.
Man, Puka Nacua has been fantastic in his return from injury. He already has 6 grabs for 87 yards on his 7 targets. He's not playing a full complement of snaps but when he's out there, Matthew Stafford is HUNTING him down the field. This latest twisting grab along the sideline to pick up a first down is awesome.
Well, after touchdowns on each of the first four drives of the game, we just saw four consecutive punts to (likely) end the half. And now star Vikings tackle Christian Darrisaw got rolled up on late in the second quarter. Less than ideal for Minnesota. Darrisaw is one of the best tackles in the NFL, and it would be a huge loss if he has to miss time.
We saw touchdowns on each of the first four drives of this game, but the defenses have stepped their games up over the last few possessions. We're now looking at back-to-back-to-back punts, thanks to heavy pressure and some offensive-line penalties.
On the last two drives, Minnesota has gifted the Rams three first downs that negated failed third-down attempts. A defensive hold, a pass interference and now a hands to the face penalty. Can't have that in close games like this.
Aided by a pair of third-down penalties that extended their drive, the Rams scored the game's fourth consecutive touchdown. It was a whole lot of Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams to get down the field, and then Matthew Stafford showed off some incredible playmaking skill by escaping what looked like a surefire sack and finding Cooper Kupp in the back of the end zone. What a play.
Williams is now back in the game, so it seems like the issue was not serious.
Kyren Williams is getting taped up on the sideline, but it looks like it might be an issue with his cleats. A staffer came over and offered him different pair but Williams declined and they continued taping his foot/ankle.
Minnesota once again gained positive yards on every snap of its drive. Darnold is now a perfect 8 of 8 for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jefferson already has 5 grabs for 68 yards and has barely had a defender within 5 feet of him on his grabs. This time, it was Trent Sherfield finding the end zone on a crosser.
Williams just found himself in the end zone for the 10th consecutive game. This is his 10th touchdown of the season, and his second through the air. Matthew Stafford is now back to even with a 4-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Must be nice having Kupp and Nacua back.
Puka Nacua dropped a pass on his first play back from injury, but he's already made up for it with a pair of big gains on catch-and-run screen passes as the Rams look to take advantage of Minnesota's aggressive defense. Rams are in scoring range now.
Minnesota easily strode right down the field for an opening-drive touchdown. Every single play gained positive yards. 4 carries for 21 yards for Aaron Jones. Sam Darnold was 4 of 4 for 49 yards and a score and was totally unpressured on all of them. Justin Jefferson had 3 grabs for 44 yards and was wide all drive. Josh Oliver was somehow even more wide open on the touchdown.
Kam Curl was down on the field after the last play. It would be a big loss if he has to go out because the Vikings offense is at its best when attacking the intermediate middle of the field. Looks like rookie Kam Kinchens will come in to take his place.
In what should come as no surprise if you've watched this Minnesota offense this season, the touches are going to Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson early on. We're 5 snaps into the game and Jones has 3 carries for 18 yards and Jefferson has 2 catches for 27 yards. The Vikes have been easily moving it down the field.
Here are a few key matchups that could help decide this game:
LB Blake Cashman
CB Akayleb Evans
QB Brett Rypien (emergency third QB)
RB Myles Gaskin
CB Dwight McGlothern
OL Walter Rouse
DL Levi Drake Rodriguez
QB Stetson Bennett (emergency third QB)
CB Tre'Davious White
RB Cody Schrader
WR Jordan Whittington
DE Desjuan Johnson
