By Jourdan Rodrigue, Alec Lewis and Amos Morale III
The Los Angeles Rams had their top receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp both on the field for the first time since Week 1 in their “Thursday Night Football” matchup against Minnesota Vikings. The duo showed why they were missed as Nacua topped 100 yards receiving and Kupp caught a touchdown pass in the Rams’ 30-20 victory over the Vikings.
With Nacua in the lineup for the first time since Week 1 and Kupp since Week 2, Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for a season-high four touchdowns. His 279 yards were also the most since Week 1.
Stafford and Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold appeared poised to make Thursday’s matchup a quarterback duel as the game’s first four possessions resulted in touchdown passes. Darnold found Josh Oliver and Trent Sherfield for scores and Stafford connected with Kyren Williams and Kupp.
However, in the second half the Rams continued to score touchdowns, with Stafford finding receiver Demarcus Robinson in the end zone twice, while the Vikings settled for field goals. Still, Minnesota had a chance to at least tie the game late in the fourth but its final drive ended when Darnold was sacked by Byron Young in the end zone for safety.
Young appeared to have grabbed Darnold’s face mask on the play but it wasn’t called, and Los Angeles was able to run out the clock.
The Kupp-Nacua effect
It’s extremely clear how much more effective the Rams’ offense is with Kupp and Nacua in the lineup. Not only did their presence alone and frequent motions affect how the defenders could distribute their spacing, that in turn had a ripple effect on what was available to them in the tighter red zone area.
Los Angeles crossed the 20-point mark in the third quarter, just the second time it has scored 20 or more points in a game this season. The Rams also went 2 for 2 in the red zone in the first half after entering the game as one of the least effective red zone touchdown scoring offenses this season. — Jourdan Rodrigue, senior Rams writer
O-line holds its own
One of the major plot points of this game was how Los Angeles’ offensive line and overall pressure plan worked against a typically aggressive and pressure-heavy Vikings defense. Early in the game, the Rams threw quick passes and ran the ball to help take the teeth (and multiplicity) out of the pass rush.
In the third quarter, Minnesota at times rushed fewer defenders and dropped more into coverage — and Los Angeles’ offensive line held up, allowing Stafford to get several passes downfield (one underthrown, one overthrown, but one also a 25-yard touchdown to Robinson).
Stafford was even well protected on his third-quarter interception.
It was the second week in a row the Rams combatted an aggressive front effectively despite missing their starting left guard and center. By the start of the fourth quarter, according to ESPN Stats and Info, the Vikings were only getting pressure at an 11 percent rate where their usual rate is almost 25 percent. — Rodrigue
Vikings gashed again
Minnesota’s defense was the team’s backbone throughout its 5-0 start. But for the second straight week, and especially Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Rams, that defense was gashed continuously. The Vikings’ corners could not blanket the Rams’ receivers and not just Nacua and Kupp.
Even Robinson was exploiting the Vikings over the top. He snagged a touchdown down the sideline and toe-tapped his way past Harrison Smith for another. The Vikings’ corners did not receive help from their pass rush, either. It frequently felt as if Stafford was parked in the pocket with time to scan the field for more than five seconds.
Towards the end of the game, Minnesota resorted to one of its 2023 strategies, invoking a max-pressure and max-coverage approach. It was during one of those drop-eight snaps that Stafford found Robinson in the end zone. The Vikings also tried to mix in man coverage in the second half, but the Rams also exploited it with ease.
During a third down on Los Angeles’ final possession, the Rams motioned into a bunch, and Minnesota’s corners could not sort through the route distribution. The conversion to Kupp plucked more time from the clock, helping the Rams finish the game out. — Alec Lewis, Vikings staff writer
Darrisaw leaves game
As if the Vikings’ loss to the Rams was not bad enough, one of Minnesota’s most essential players had to be helped off the field with seconds remaining in the first half. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, whom the Vikings extended this summer, set to run block with 35 seconds remaining in the first half.
As he attempted to push, Rams safety Jaylen McCollough collided with Darrisaw’s knee, and Darrisaw crumbled to the turf at SoFi Stadium. After a visit from the trainers, Darrisaw hobbled to the locker room with help. The Vikings quickly ruled him out, and coach Kevin O’Connell will likely update his status postgame in the locker room.
Darrisaw’s departure left veteran swing tackle David Quessenberry, who faced an immense test in young Rams edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young. Those two applied heat on quarterback Sam Darnold throughout the night, including the final Vikings offensive play.
Young grabbed Darnold’s facemask in the end zone, but the referees did not flag the Rams for the penalty, ending Thursday’s contest. — Lewis
(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
