The Los Angeles Rams needed some sign that their season was not dead yet. Tonight, the Sports Gods opted to give them a pair of them.
Any question on the Rams’ ability to hang with the better teams was answered tonight.
With the returns of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, along with the downhill running of Kyren Williams the Rams hung a second straight loss on Minnesota as they outshined the once dominant powerhouses 30-20 on a Thursday night in SoFi.
In a game that went back and forth all night long, it was the Rams that stepped up when it mattered. And when I say it was back and forth throughout, that is not a stretch of any capacity.
Following a 5-yd TD pass from Sam Darnold to Josh Oliver, Matthew Stafford responded quickly with a 5-yd pass to Williams to even the score at 7-7. The Vikings bounced back yet again as Darnold delivered a 10-yd pass to Trent Sherfield to put the Vikings back ahead 14-7 to end the opening quarter. The clear shocking moment of the second quarter had to be Matthew Stafford dodging a pair of defensive linemen to throw a 7-yd dart to Cooper Kupp to even the score at 14 apiece to end the scoring for the first half.
While it looked like the Vikings would start getting their primetime target, Justin Jefferson, into the mix, it seemed like the offense of Minnesota could not find their way back into the end zone, even with it looking at them and waving profusely. The Rams on the other hand? Well, they found it in bunches in the second half as Stafford turned back time once again and found Demarcus Robinson for a pair of touchdown catches (25 and 10-yards respectively).
As for Kupp and Nacua, they brought the noise as much as anyone on the Rams offense, who shockingly woke up at the perfect time as they were able to snag their third win of the season (and no surprise, their third at home this season). While Stafford improved on his numbers in bunches tonight (only thrown 3 touchdown passes entering tonight), the return of his dynamic duo definitely helped him get his swagger back. Nacua finished with 106 yards on seven catches, while Kupp finished with 51 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
Demarcus Robinson only got two catches in this game for a total of 35 yards…those two catches just so happened to be touchdown dimes of 10 and 25 yards!
But as a certain someone was raising their blood pressure watching and waiting, it seemed as if both sides of the ball for the Rams answered. Jared Verse, Michael Hoecht and Byron Young managed to snatch Darnold down for a sack, Young’s sack ending in a controversial safety. But then again, so was that controversial catch by Jefferson late in the game that had Skol Country biting their nails.
Stafford finished the game with acceptable numbers as he accumulated 279 yards ono 25/34 passing with four touchdowns and a pick, Williams established his ground dominance early and often with 97 yards on 23 carries and the Rams managed to spread the love among its receiving corps and its running backs.
If it’s any consolation Minnesota, Jefferson may not have found the end zone, but he did snag up 115 yards on eight catches.
In any event, the Rams should be able to carry this momentum into the 12th man to face the Seahawks next week, while the Vikings will look to get back on the good foot after losing the top spot in the NFC North when they welcome the Colts on Sunday Night Football in two weeks.