Rams at Vikings Game Wrap: Vikes Win a Big One at The Vault
Joe Oberle
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The Los Angeles Rams came to town to take on the Vikings in a battle of the 7-2 division leaders, and the game did disappoint. Both teams boast tough defenses, and decent offenses led by (one-time) Rams quarterbacks. In a slugfest that provided little early fireworks, the Vikings defense was the better one on the day and Minnesota took the game 24-7.
The Rams, behind second-year signal caller Jared Goff, were everything they’ve been billed to be, but after a very good opening drive and rushing touchdown by Todd Gurley, the Vikings shut down the running game and then made the rest of the game tough for Goff. The Rams threatened to take back the lead before half, but a turnover near the Vikings goal line shut down their last best scoring chance.
The Vikings started and stopped on offense, but ultimately moved the ball into scoring position enough times (they had 451 total yards of offense on the day), that they were eventually were able to break through and win this big game.
The Vikings move to 8-2 on the season, maintaining their two-game lead in the NFC North. But they will have to recover quickly as they move on to Detroit on Thursday for a Thanksgiving Day battle that is bigger than this one.
Trending
If what FOX’s Jay Glazer was reporting before the game, that Case Keenum was on a short leash at quarterback, he just extended that leash against the Rams. Keenum made plays all afternoon, including one when hung in the pocket and he should have been tackled twice but threw a pass to Adam Thielen for a first down—setting up the Vikings first score. Keenum knows how to extend drives with his feet. More than once, Keenum scrambled out of trouble when the pocket broke down, and he even ran twice for 21 yards (the second of which was a 14-yarder where one of his old LA mates, Alec Ogletree ,nearly got Teddy Bridgewater up and throwing). Keenum was fired up in this game against his former team and proved with his play. You still get the occasional errant throw from Keenum, but there were also plenty of throwaways that surely pleased his coach—at least for another week.
Latavius Murray battled for all 95 yards he got against the Rams’ tough defense. Sometimes they came in bursts and other times were doled out in small increments in the middle of a scrum. But two of those runs turned into two touchdowns for the Vikings and sealed the win. On the day, Murray had those 95 yards on 15 rushes, and he traded carries with his partner in crime Jerick McKinnon (who had 14 carries for 48 yards and five catches for 12 yards). The running back tandem, thanks to some decent work by the offensive line, contributed mightily to another win.
Game after game (except for Washington) the Vikings defense bends but refuses to break. To name the players who stood out or made plays on Sunday afternoon would get quite lengthy. Okay, Old Man Newman (Terence) with some decent tackling, Harrison Smith with timely pass defenses, Anthony Harris with a huge forced fumble and recovery of it, Danielle Hunter with a big sack in which he blew through his blocker, Trae Waynes, who continues to shine a little bit more each week and on and on. The Vikings defense (which gave up just 254 yards) was the star of this game, shutting down the highest scoring offense in the league. And they will need those stellar performances to continue the rest of the season.
Worth Defending
In a game when Vikings wideouts were not as dominating as they have been, tight end Kyle Rudolph came to the fore with some big plays. In the first half he caught a dime from Keenum while being covered very tightly. But perhaps there was no bigger play than his catch and run on third down at the end of the third quarter when Rudy caught the ball, turned up field, ran into a defender and stretched for a first down. The ball led to the Vikings second touchdown and their first lead in the game. Rudolph finished the game with five catches for 58 yards and played a huge role in the win.
It took awhile for the wideouts to get loose, as Keenum spread it around to nine different receivers in the game. Ultimately, it was Adam Thielen who caught a mid-range pass near the sidelines, made one of his frequent quick jukes and was off to the races for a 65-yard score that broke the game open. Thielen uncharacteristically let a couple passes drop from his gold gloves (one a tough touchdown grab that was trapped against his helmet, and the other one he generally would have made), but he came through when it counted and scored a touchdown that put the game out of reach. He had six catches on the day for 123 yards and the score ultimately made his fantasy football owners (such as myself) very happy.
The Vikings had a big turnover right before halftime that gave them the ball at their own two yard line. They got a couple first downs and then started moving backwards, as the Rams called a timeout hoping for one more shot before half. But Zimmer ran the ball twice to Jerick McKinnon, then ran down the clock to 19 seconds and then punted. It was well-executed clock management to keep the Rams from a shot at taking the lead before half. The pressure is not quite as high at halftime as it is at the end of the game, but it was great to see. Keep it up, Vikes.
Should Be Ending
The crowd noise in U.S. Bank Stadium was as loud as I have heard in the past season and a half. It caused plenty of confusion for the Rams and their second-year quarterback. Goff has trouble calling audibles, got a delay of game, was seen holding his hands over his ear, and had to take an early time out that was certainly due to the fired up Vikings fans. Zimmer was likely pleased. This should “never be ending” at The Vault.
Kicker Kai Forbath made three extra points (which had been his slight bugaboo) today, but he missed field goal, a 38-yarder that could have given the Vikings a first half lead. Forbath followed that up with the miss of a 39-yard that hit the upright on the opening drive of the second half (it was a knuckle ball that had very little loft). That kind of thing takes the wind out of the sails of an offense and gives the opponents some momentum. Forbath cannot start heading down the mental anguish path of the Vikings kicker.
The Vikings continued with their shifting and changing of personnel units in each offensive series (Latavius Murray running the wildcat?). The practice was effective against Washington last week and certainly kept the Los Angeles defense on their heels. But at times, the Vikings were confused themselves and cost them a timeout and a 12-man on the field penalty. The scheming is good, but best when the offense is all on the same page of the playbook.