NFL
By: George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams host the Minnesota Vikings in a Thursday night matchup. The Rams will look to build momentum coming off their 20-15 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vikings are looking to get back into the win column following their 31-29 defeat to the Detroit Lions.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the Rams offense. In the game against the Raiders, Stafford completed 14-23 passes for 154 yards and 1 interception. The 154 passing yards is the lowest Stafford has thrown for since joining the Rams. Stafford did not find much success throwing the ball deep downfield. The Raiders pass coverage forced Stafford to complete short to medium-range passes throughout the game.
The Rams’ offensive line did a better job in terms of pass protection, allowing only 1 sack by the Raiders defense. The Vikings’ pass rush will test the Rams offensive line, as they have recorded 24 sacks through their first 6 games. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores likes to bring pressure and will utilize the 0 blitz. Look for Rams head coach Sean McVay to counter the Viking blitz with short slant passes to exploit the open middle of the Vikings defense. With the blitz the Vikings like to use, the Rams receivers will be covered man to man by the Vikings secondary. Look for Stafford to challenge the Vikings’ secondary with deep passes on some blitzes.
Tutu Atwell led the Rams receivers with 6 receptions for 51 yards. Tyler Johnson had 4 receptions for 57 yards. With Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Jordan Whittington out against the Vikings, Stafford did not spread the ball around as much as he usually does, only completing passes to 5 different receivers. The Rams are looking to receive a boost to their receiver group as Cooper Kupp is expected to play against the Vikings. The Rams have not stated how much playing time Kupp will see however, having him on the field will give the Rams passing attack an added weapon.
The Rams went to their running game more than their passing attack against the Raiders, rushing for 115 yards. RB Kyren Williams led the way with 76 yards on 21 carries and 2 touchdowns. Blake Corum rushed for 11 yards on 3 carries. The offensive attack, usually pass-heavy under McVay, has been more balanced in the past few games. Look for the Rams to continue the balanced offensive attack against the defense.
The Rams defense held their own against the Raiders, keeping them out of the endzone and limiting the Raiders to 5 field goals while forcing 3 turnovers. This marked the first time this season the Rams did not allow an offensive touchdown to their opponent. Quinten Lake and Troy Reeder led the way with 9 total tackles each. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula will work to devise a scheme to attack a potent Vikings offense.
Quarterback Sam Darnold leads the Vikings offense. In what has been a rejuvenated season, Darnold has passed for 1370 with 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 5-1 start. Darnold is a threat to run with the ball when allowed to escape the pocket. The Rams pass rush has struggled with keeping outside containment with their pass rush, allowing quarterbacks to get to the outside. Their edge rushers led by Bryon Young and Jared Verse will look to keep Darnold inside the pocket and close off outside lanes of escape, while the defensive line will look to collapse the pocket from the interior.
Justin Jefferson leads a talented trio of Vikings receivers. Jefferson has 33 receptions for 531 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season. Every time Jefferson touches the ball, he is a threat to score. Jefferson will be a big focus with the Rams pass coverage. The defense, however, cannot just focus on Jefferson. Jalen Nailor and Jordan Addison will be heavily involved in the Vikings’ passing attack. If the Rams lose sight of Nailor and Addison, they both will be in line for a big game.
The Rams have struggled in run defense and the Vikings will look to exploit this. Aaron Jones leads the Vikings running attack. For the season, Jones has rushed for 443 yards with 2 touchdowns. Look for the Vikings to run the ball off tackle as the Rams have struggled with perimeter run defense. The Rams will be hesitant to use an 8-man defensive front to stop the Vikings running game, not wanting to play one-on-one pass coverage with the receivers. The Rams defensive front will look to get off their blocks and close up the inside running lanes. The edge of the defense will look to not collapse to the inside which would open up the perimeter for the Minnesota running backs.
The Rams will look to build momentum from their win against the Raiders while the Vikings will look to rebound from their loss to the Lions. The Vikings will work to correct the issues their defense had that led to the Lions putting up 31 points. In the end, look for the Vikings to improve their record to 6-1 with the Rams dropping to 2-5 on the season.
Vikings. 27
