Once anticipated as a matchup between two of the better teams in the NFC, today night’s clash between the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum now comes with a bit of curiosity attached.
The Rams (3-0) continue to look the part of an NFL power, while the Vikings (1-1-1) have lingering questions following a 27-6 home defeat Sunday to a Buffalo Bills team that was more than a two-touchdown underdog.
Thursday was supposed to be the start of a daunting stretch for the Vikings, not this past Sunday. Minnesota has the matchup with the Rams followed by an Oct 7 NFC Championship Game rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles. The two-game stretch only looks tougher now.
“I’m not too worried about that, honestly, about getting them back,” Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said about the short week. “We had a bad day. We’ve got to play better, obviously. I don’t have any doubts about this football team. But this is the NFL and you’ve got to go out and play every week.”
Not only have the Rams met - and possibly exceeded - expectations after three weeks, they get to stay home and fine tune a team that has shown few weaknesses in compiling victories over the Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers.
Quarterback Jared Goff has thrown for over 350 yards in consecutive games, just the fourth Rams signal-caller since 1958 to accomplish the feat. And the Rams’ offense is coming off a convincing 521-yard performance against the Chargers.
Yet, if anybody on the Rams is about to pat themselves on the back, there is at least one veteran who will remind the team that the Vikings are still one of the toughest opponents in the league, even if the Bills had their way with them Sunday.
“(The Vikings) not doing as well as they hoped, they’re gonna be hungry coming out here,” Rams defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh said. “A game on the road, short week, allows them to forget about it really quickly, prepare for our game. So we expect them to come out with a lot of firepower.”
Playing from behind Sunday, the Vikings rushed the ball just six times. Quarterback Kirk Cousins attempted 55 passes, completing 40 of them for 296 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked four times and fumbled three times, losing two of those.
The Rams did not intercept a Philip Rivers pass Sunday, but they did recover two fumbles and blocked a punt in the end zone for a touchdown.
Of major concern for the Rams are injuries to starting cornerbacks Marcus Peters (calf) and Aqib Talib (ankle). Talib is set for surgery Thursday and will reportedly miss a month, while Peters could reportedly be sidelined two to four weeks.
Rams Pro Bowl kicker Greg Zuerlein remains out with a groin injury. His replacement, Sam Ficken, missed a 46-yard field goal in his only attempt Sunday.
Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (hamstring) did not play Sunday, but is expected back Thursday after returning to practice on a limited basis Tuesday. Defensive lineman Everson Griffen will miss Thursday’s game with a knee injury, though the team is more focused on his mental health after an incident at a Minneapolis hotel on Saturday.
According to Deadspin, which posted a copy of the Minnetrista, Minn., police report detailing the incident, Griffen leapt out of an ambulance on his way to the hospital for a mental evaluation.
The Vikings lead the all-time regular-season series 27-16-2 and are on a five-game win streak. The teams met last year on Nov 19, with the Vikings winning 24-7 at Minnesota.