2024 Week 8: Vikings 20, Rams 30
This game looked like there would be fireworks on both sides but then the Vikings (5-2) lost Christian Darrisaw for the rest of the game/season and the Vikings offense collapsed. Minnesota is still a playoff contender without Darrisaw, but I believe this is a bigger blow than people are letting on… they just lost any chance at winning the NFC North with this injury.
The Rams are now (3-4) and are getting better as they get healthier. Preseason the Rams were my favorite team, I thought they would go on a miracle run and win the West over a healthy San Fran, but the Rams got dinged with a bunch of injuries before the season started and lost a bunch. Getting back Corner Darious Williams saved their defense, and the O-line is getting healthier. The West is now open for the Rams to take.
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QB Report:
- Matt Stafford (25/34 for 279 yards, 4TDs/1 INT) had his best game and this was also the first time Kupp and Puka were healthy this year, no shocker, and it was a great matchup against the Vikings' #30 ranked pass defense.
- Sam Darnold (18/25 for 240 yards, 2 TDs) was gifted with the best pass-blocking team in the league, and that has sparked his meteoric rise. I wonder what will happen in a full game without Darrisaw… I’m concerned about him regressing to his mean. Darnold was never good with pressure, it’s a major part of what separates the bad from the good and the good from the great.
WR Report:
- I don’t think the injury to Darrisaw will hurt Justin Jefferson (8-115-0/9) too much, if anything it might help him… less time to throw will lead to more hurries, and relying on quicker throws to your best receiver. As for Jordan Addison (2-22-0/3), the injury hurts him a lot if David Quessenberry can’t fill in at LT well. Addison does a lot of downfield/outside work, which requires more time for the play to develop.
- Welp, Sean McVay played everyone for the second week in a row, last week it was Jordan Whittington, and this week it was Puka Nacua (7-106-0/9). McVay was caged about the readiness of Puka, and clearly, he was healthy.
From what it looked like to me, Puka is Stafford’s top target, but Kupp (5-51-1/8) and Stafford have played together for so long and have built up a great rapport so he’s not going to perform poorly. Both can and will succeed in this offense.
D/ST Report:
- Darious Williams (5 tackles, 1 TFL) provided the juice that the Rams defense needed, since returning from IR the Rams have allowed 20 or fewer points and the D-line is playing better thanks to the tighter coverage – Rookie Jared Verse (3 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 TFL, 3 QB hits) has 8 QB hits in the last two games.
image source: (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)