On Monday night, the Rams provided a welcomed, albeit temporary escape for their fans who are dealing with the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Led by a dominant defensive effort, the Rams took a 24-3 halftime lead en route to a 27-9 win over the Vikings in the NFC wild-card round.
Because of the wildfires, the game was moved to Arizona, which looked and sounded like SoFi Stadium. Rams fans who traveled to the desert were treated to a dominant performance by a squad that looks more than capable of challenging the second-seeded Eagles in next Sunday's divisional round showdown.
Ahead 10-3, Los Angeles extended its lead when likely NFL Rookie of the Year Jared Verse scored on a 57-yard fumble return after Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was strip-sacked by Rams defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon. It was one of the Rams' six first-half sacks of Darnold, whose rocky opening two quarters also included an interception to Rams cornerback Cobie Durant. Darnold was sacked nine times on the night, which was tied for the most-ever by a quarterback in an NFL playoff game.
The Rams' offense started and ended the half with touchdown passes from quarterback Matthew Stafford. Los Angeles kicked off the second half with a field goal that was set up by a brilliant 29-yard grab by Cooper Kupp. The Vikings quickly responded with their first touchdown of the night, but Darnold and Co. came up empty on their final three drives.
Here's a closer look at how the Rams took care of business.
Why the Rams won
Despite a hectic week that included an overnight trip from Los Angeles to Glendale, Arizona, less than three days prior to kickoff, the Rams played arguably their best game of the 2024 season to date. On offense, the Rams received steady play from Stafford, who on Monday night won his first playoff game since defeating the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Stafford completed passes to eight different teammates while keeping the Vikings' secondary guessing. He was complemented by running back Kyren Williams, who ran for 76 yards and capped off the game's first drive with a touchdown catch.
Defensively, it's hard to imagine a unit playing better than Los Angles did against the Vikings. The unit unleashed a menacing pass rush (led by Kobie Turner's two sacks) and were able to make Minnesota one-dimensional, as Aaron Jones wasn't a factor on the ground. The Rams' young but talented secondary, led by Durant, Witherspoon and Quentin Lake, more than held their own against Minnesota's talented receiving corps.
Why the Vikings lost
A lot of blame will likely be cast on Darnold's shoulders after he turned in a second consecutive subpar outing in as many games. Similar to Minnesota's Week 18 loss in Detroit that cost it the No. 1 seed, Darnold was erratic, hesitant and simply not the same player who played a big role in the Vikings' 14 wins during the regular season.
Darnold shares a considerable amount of responsibility for the loss, but he wasn't alone. The Vikings' offensive line struggled to protect him. In addition to the sacks, Darnold was hit on several of his throws that included his second quarter interception. Darnold's receivers also failed to come up with several big plays, most notably Jordan Addison's drop deep downfield late in the game when the Vikings were trying to mount a comeback. It was an oddly quiet night for Justin Jefferson, who finished the game with just 58 yards on five catches.
Minnesota's offense was especially dreadful on possession downs. The Vikings were 6 of 17 on third down and 1 of 4 on fourth down. One particularly costly fourth-down miss occurred when Darnold was sacked by Turner on fourth-and-2 from midfield with under two minutes left in the half. The turnover on downs helped set up a Rams touchdown just before the half that extended Los Angeles' lead to 21 points.
They weren't great on defense, but that side of the ball held Los Angeles to just 2 of 10 on third down and 2 of 4 in the red zone. Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman made his presence felt with 11 tackles and a sack.
Turning point/play of the game
It felt as if the Rams were in control for the entire game, but it was nevertheless a one score game (10-3) with under five minutes to play until halftime. That changed, however, when Verse scooped up Witherspoon's forced fumble of Darnold and raced to pay dirt, extending the Rams' lead to 17-3.
It may not have been the play of the game, but Kupp's balletic grab that set up the Rams' final score was worth including here, too. The catch was the first and only of the game for the former Super Bowl MVP.
Quotable
"We're living it every day. It was was a tough week for us. A bunch of moving parts. Our organization did a hell of a job of taking care of us, getting us over here to practice, setting it up with families. I mean, it's been a whirlwind. And to come out here and play like we did in really all phases, I'm really proud of this group." -- Stafford, during his postgame interview with ESPN, on how the Rams won despite their unique situation
What's next
The Rams will travel to Philadelphia to take on an Eagles team that started the postseason with a convincing 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers. Los Angeles' defense faces a stiff test in Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who is coming off his first 100-yards rushing performance in the postseason. The Rams' offense will face an Eagles defense that picked off Packers quarterback Jordan Love off three times and held Green Bay to just 1 of 3 in the red zone.
For the Vikings, Monday night's loss ends what was otherwise a surprisingly good season for Kevin O'Connell's team. The Vikings' biggest offseason question will surround the future of Darnold, who is set to enter free agency. Minnesota could either re-sign Darnold or move forward in 2025 with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season due to an injury.
