The Vikings Locked Down The Rams

So far this season, only one team had held the Los Angeles Rams to fewer than 20 points—the Seattle Seahawks. Since that blip of a loss in Seattle, though, the Rams had continued to put up points at a rate unmatched by any other NFL team, scoring 27, 33, 51, and 33 points in their past four games.

But that all came to an end when the Rams visited Minnesota today. In the marquee match of the afternoon between two 7-2 teams, the Vikings earned a decisive 24-7 victory by dominating L.A. in all facets of the game—but primarily with its defense.

Todd Gurley rushed for a minuscule 37 yards on 15 carries, while Jared Goff could only put up 225 passing yards, and no touchdowns. The Vikings’ defenders didn’t make massive plays—they recovered a fumble but didn’t get any interceptions—but they kept the Rams stagnant, holding them to 3-of-11 on third downs, with only 56 total plays compared to Minnesota’s 73. As we noted earlier, the team’s front line looked the scariest, particularly when Danielle Hunter took down Goff for a sack, along with a couple of his pass protectors.

Most of the game was played in a 7-7 deadlock, but in the fourth quarter, the Viking offense broke free, scoring 17 points in the last 15 minutes. Latavius Murray carried the team with 95 yards on 15 rushes, while a strong, satisfying performance from a confident Case Keenum was highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen.

This Vikings win, putting them at 8-2, sets up a massive Thanksgiving game at Detroit, who escaped Chicago with a three-point win and sits at 6-4. Not many would believe that Case Keenum is the leader of a team that’s running through the NFC, but for now, as unconventional as it is, that’s what’s happening. Winning is all that matters, and these Vikings are winning.