By Jourdan Rodrigue, Alec Lewis and Lauren Merola
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 in Monday’s wild-card matchup in Arizona.
It was a major victory for the Rams, not only because they’ll advance to play the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round next, but because the win came after the contest was relocated from the team’s home venue at SoFi Stadium to State Farm Stadium due to the L.A. wildfires.
“We knew what we were playing for today,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said postgame. “It was go get this win, but man, it was for the people of Los Angeles struggling right now. It’s been unbelievable to watch the whole community, the state, the country get behind them.”
Stafford threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, while Kyren Williams broke free on the ground. The RB had 16 carries for 76 yards, adding 16 yards and a score through the air.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and the team fell flat early. Darnold completed 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards, one score and one interception.
Next up: The Divisional Round. #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/LIqCrSm9JW
— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2025
Rams defense shined when it mattered most
The story of Monday night’s game (at least on the field) for the Rams was also one of the biggest stories of their season: The evolution and development of their defensive line, minus Aaron Donald.
Donald sat in the stands as a proud alumnus as he watched the Rams amass nine sacks, with six in the first half. Their plan was simple, and looked similar to Detroit’s in Week 18. They wanted to rush Darnold on longer downs and send selective delayed blitzes (they aren’t usually a heavy blitzing team). One of these blitzes was a strip-sack by cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, that rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse scooped up and returned for a touchdown in the first half.
They also forced big losses with their sacks, in part because Darnold’s pass downs were so long-developing and his drops were deeper. The Rams’ sacks were for losses of 10, seven, 12, eight, seven, 11, 13 and eight yards as a front featuring mostly rookies and second-year players who wouldn’t let the Vikings quarterback know any peace. — Jourdan Rodrigue, Rams beat writer
Darnold’s magical season crashes down
It was only two weeks ago that Darnold was being doused by water in the Vikings’ locker room. That’s how quickly things can change. If that moment, following the Green Bay Packers victory, was the apex of his season, Monday night’s performance was the bottom.
For the second straight week, Darnold looked like a different quarterback than the player who helped the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season. He missed throws over the middle of the field. He held the ball too long in the pocket. His footwork seemed sloppy, and his eyes often waffled from one side of the field to the other and back. It did not feel as if he trusted his protection nor believed in what he was looking at downfield when protection was there.
Darnold threw a poor interception in the second quarter toward the right sideline. He fumbled later in the quarter, and Rams edge rusher Verse returned the fumble 57 yards for a touchdown. Darnold’s final stat line makes it appear better than it was.
The Vikings did not have a shot against the Detroit Lions, nor the Rams with this level of quarterback play. — Alec Lewis, Vikings beat writer
Vikings lost hope quickly
Stafford placed Brian Flores’ Vikings defense on its heels early. Los Angeles chucked the ball downfield on early downs in the first quarter and beat zone and man coverage. Stafford began the day 9-of-9 passing, and the Rams led 10-0 in the game by the end of the first quarter. Trailing, paired with the offense’s issues, left Minnesota with little chance. Its best hope at beating the Rams hinged on taking the sting out of the pass rush. It did not help that Darnold held onto the ball as long and as often as he did, but not having the full effect of the run game (due to trailing early) made things that much more difficult.
The Vikings’ defense adapted during the game and was not helped by field position. In the second quarter, Darnold was sacked on fourth down at his own 39. Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore did an admirable job on Rams wideout Puka Nacua, holding him to five catches for 44 yards.
In the end, though, the early blow, combined with everything else, left the Vikings with little hope. — Lewis
Rams overcome neutral-site playoff game due to L.A. wildfires
Whatever the result could have been, the environment the Rams created in Glendale, Ariz., was impressive. They brought their entire game-day operation and entertainment crew to the stadium, including their cheerleaders, in-game DJ and guitarist Nita Strauss plus the Mariachi Rams band. They unfurled a giant banner that said “LA TOGETHER” in the stands.
“We knew what we were playing for today… For the people of Los Angeles.” – Matthew Stafford
— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2025
Fans — bused in by 20-plus buses supplied by the team and by quarterback Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly, set a pretty even split (unlike that often even seen at home stadium SoFi in Inglewood) and the atmosphere felt more like a college football bowl game than an NFL game — electric, close to the field and split by team behind respective benches.
Rams fans held a sign up in the fourth quarter that said, “Thank you Arizona Cardinals.” After an emotional week for many based in Los Angeles, it was a much-needed break and an electric few hours. — Rodrigue
Required reading
(Photo: Norm Hall / Getty Images)
