The Vikings and Rams Trade Uppercuts Early, MIN’s Defense Gets Beat by Stafford
Coming into the Vikings and Rams game, there was a widespread sense of Minnesota’s impending victory. After all, the writer panel on Vikings Territory all leaned in a purple direction.
Re-inserting Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua into the lineup, though, has a way of making things interesting in a hurry.
By the time it was all said and done, the Vikings and Rams finished off with Minnesota losing their second game in a row. The final score was 30-20. Minnesota now heads into their mini-bye at 5-2 and in desperate need of a win when the Colts come to town in Week 9.
The Vikings and Rams: Uppercuts Before Settling Into a Grind
The opening drive went about as well as possible for Minnesota.
Aaron Jones looked decisive and explosive, demonstrating great vision and balance as he picked up positive yards. Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson was heavily emphasized in the passing game, an approach that paid immediate dividends.
Minnesota, however, didn’t just have their RB1 and WR1 making plays. Sam Darnold tossed a pair of early touchdown passes. The first went to tight end Josh Oliver while the second went to receiver Trent Sherfield.
Take a look at the Oliver catch:
And then the score to Sherfield:
Of course, the Rams made plays of their own. Kyren Williams looked supremely explosive while the Kupp & Nacua duo proved to be a handful.
Also concerning was the injury to Christian Darrisaw, the stud left tackle who left late in the 2nd quarter. Minnesota didn’t take long to pass along the word that was would be out for the game, a concerning sign.
Minnesota was able to retake the lead in the 3rd following a Byron Murphy Jr. interception. Going back to Jefferson worked well as the offense moved down the field before stalling in the red zone. Will Reichard drilled a short field goal to give Minnesota a 17-14 lead.
Matthew Stafford, though, is no joke.
The veteran entered the game with just 3 touchdown passes for the entire season. By the time it was all said and done, Stafford was sitting on 4 touchdown passes on Thursday Night Football, more than doubling his total for the season.
The former Lion finished his day having gone 25/34 for 279 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Put simply, the Vikings’ defense didn’t make it difficult enough for the Rams’ QB1. He wasn’t sacked a single time.
The Vikings, down by 8 points, had a shot to drive down the field to tie the game, but Darnold was sacked in the endzone for a safety. Darnold was taken down by his facemask on the play, but there was no flag.
Minnesota will look to rebound against Indianapolis in their next game. That contest will take place on Sunday Night Football.
Breaking the two-game losing streak would mean climbing up to 6-2.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
