The Secret Sauce for a Vikings Triumph vs. Rams

Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) runs the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Two years ago, the Minnesota Vikings hosted the New York Giants for a wildcard contest and ultimately lost to now Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones and his squad. After a one-year absence from the postseason tournament, the franchise is back, facing the Los Angeles Rams in Glendale, Arizona.

The Secret Sauce for a Vikings Triumph vs. Rams

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Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) runs the ball against Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Earlier in the year, the Vikings lost their only non-Lions game of the season when they had to travel to Los Angeles for a Thursday game. The end result showed 30-20 after a blatantly missed facemask foul late in the game, but the Rams simply played better football throughout those three hours.

It dropped the Vikings to 5-2 in the standings, and it would be the last loss for a long time. A major problem in that contest was that Brian Flores‘ defense couldn’t come close to Matthew Stafford, and the former Lion torched them one week after the unit couldn’t stop Jared Goff.

Pressure can disrupt timing, move a quarterback off his spot, and make him speed up his decisions, which will lead to mistakes. Some quarterbacks are better than others at dealing with that pressure, but Stafford is not one of them, especially in the 2024 season.

Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) meets with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) following the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The veteran passer is PFF’s worst-graded quarterback when under pressure. His 29.4 PFF grade is horrendous, just like his two touchdowns to six interceptions ratio for a passer rating of 50.8.

On the other hand, Stafford is a top-ten quarterback when kept clean, with 18 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Outside of the fundamentals, like winning the turnover battle and finding the endzone, putting pressure on Stafford is the obvious key to victory.

In the Week 8 contest, Stafford was pressured on only eight of his 34 dropbacks. His only interception came on a play with pressure, but he threw three touchdowns without pressure.

Oct 20, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) walks back to the huddle after the two-minute warning against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images

The good news is that the Vikings have guys who can terrorize a passer and that the Rams have an at-best average offensive line. However, they must do a better job in the second meeting at using that on-paper advantage. The blitzes must work out better, the edge rushers must win their matchups.

PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote about the Vikings vs. Rams game:

Even if not as elite as the year before, Stafford has been solid during his age-36 season, earning a 72.4 PFF passing grade. Yet, a caveat is that the Super Bowl champion has been anemic under pressure. Stafford’s 29.4 overall and 29.6 PFF passing grades are the lowest in the league among qualifiers under pressure. Meanwhile, when kept clean, Stafford is top -six in both overall (92.0) and passing (92.8) grades.

While the Vikings blitz more than any defense in the league, their pressure numbers haven’t been as fantastic as expected. Minnesota sits 11th in team pressure rate, 17th in quarterback hurry percentage and 32nd in throwaway rate. The only starting Vikings defensive lineman with an 11.0% pass-rush win rate or better is Jonathan Greenard (15.3%).

During their Thursday Night Football clash, Stafford was pressured on only 23.5% of attempts, completing 6-of-8 passes for 47 yards, one big-time throw, one turnover-worthy play and a 62.3 overall PFF grade. If the Rams can protect Stafford that well yet again, they can definitely find themselves in a position to win. But if Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel — who only mustered one pressure on 19 pass-rushing snaps earlier against the Rams — can wreak havoc, it will likely be tough sledding for LA’s potent offense.

Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Both Vikings edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel have earned Pro Bowl nominations, and Van Ginkel is a second-team All-Pro. In the biggest game of the season (to date), those two must ruin plays in the backfield before they even begin.

If they can do that, the Vikings have a decent chance to win the game, but if the Rams keep Stafford clean once again, the experienced passer can tear apart Minnesota’s defense.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF helped with this article.


Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt