The Los Angeles Rams would have had a home game but for the devastating wildfires. It forced the NFL to change the venue to a neutral site in Arizona. That, however, did not matter as the Rams utterly dominated the Minnesota Vikings 27-9. Our Vikings vs Rams Wild Card recap looks at how LA did it using their pass rush and sent Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold to an unwelcome past, simultaneously muddying his future.
The oddsmakers had Minnesota as a 2.5-point favorite.
Darnold Experiences Unwelcome Memories
The beating the Rams inflicted on the Vikings will be dropped at the feet of the quarterback. Of course, that’s unfair, but it’s the nature of the position. For Darnold, this loss and his stat line — 25 completions in 40 attempts, one touchdown, one interception — look awful. But to make matters worse, they immediately brought back memories of his time as the Jets quarterback/savior, and the New England Patriots had his “seeing ghosts.”
After 14 regular season victories and a Pro Bowl nod, debate raged as to whether the Vikings should sign Darnold and trade former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. After this, the question is which team will pay Darnold big money? It is unlikely the Vikings will.
To be fair to Darnold, the Rams sacked him (cue Ferris Bueller meme)…nine times. By the end of the first half, he looked shell-shocked. To be even more fair to Darnold, he was two Jets quarterbacks/saviors ago with both Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers suffering a similar fate in green and white as he did.
Still, there is plenty of blame to go around. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips abandoned the run too early. Running backs Aaron Jones and Cam Akers made progress on the ground. It seemed as though once Minnesota fell behind, they thought they needed to catch up immediately.
The biggest gaffe might have been near the end of the first half when O’Connell decided to go for it on 4th and 2 at midfield trailing 17-3. Darnold was sacked (again) for an 11-yard loss. Suddenly, LA had the ball at the Minnesota 39. They scored a touchdown to take a 24-3 lead.
The game was essentially over there and then.
LA Came Ready to Play Despite Challenges at Home
If one team on the field had good reason to be distracted, it was LA. Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell was generous enough to send two planes for players, families, and pets. But instead of using the ongoing catastrophe at home to give them an easy way out, they turned it into an inspiration.
The biggest stunner was the pass rush. LA had 38 sacks during the regular season, tied for 21st in the league with the Raiders. But clearly, head coach Sean McVay and defensive coordinator Chris Shula saw a weakness to exploit even though Minnesota was about average in preventing sacks, allowing 49 during the season.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was uber-efficient, completing 19 of 27 passes for two touchdowns including the backbreaker to Davis Allen right before the end of the first half. Kyren Williams rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries. Tyler Higbee, before leaving the game with a chest injury, was back to his pre-knee injury form, catching five passes for 58 yards. Defensive back Cobie Durant had a sack and a pick. Defensive end Kobie Turner had two sacks. And Jared Verse returned a Darnold fumble 57 yards for a TD.
Now the Rams travel to Philadelphia. They hosted the Eagles in Week 12 and lost 37-20.
LA Has a Puncher’s Chance in Philly
Philadelphia will not be the pushover Minnesota was. They’ve been installed as 6-point favorites. However, LA is a veteran team with an excellent coaching staff.
As our Vikings vs Rams Wild Card recap shows, even teams that are unheralded in certain areas can rise above their projections. This must be accounted for when assessing the upcoming matchup and the Rams should not be discounted from being a Super Bowl contender
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