Ten Thoughts on the Vikings' Playoff Game Against the Rams
Changing up the format of the normal posts to instead offer ten thoughts on the upcoming Vikings v. Rams playoff match.
Well, folks, that was a poor way to end the season.
Rather than a shootout between two elite offenses, there was a defeat that featured Detroit winning by a score of 31-9. Almost indisputably, the Lions are a better football team, even with all the injuries.
Seeing Detroit again in the playoffs would require Kevin O’Connell, Brian Flores, and the rest of the coaching staff to develop a masterful game plan to have a chance of securing the victory.
Minnesota now heads on the road to do battle with the Los Angeles Rams, the other team to beat them in the 14-3 season. Would be pretty ironic if the lone two teams to beat Minnesota during the season — the Lions and Rams — are the ones that undermine Minnesota’s excellent 2024. Detroit already did their part, dropping the Vikings down to the No. 5 spot in the NFC. Do the Rams get the better of the Vikings yet again?
Consider ten thoughts before the game arrives on Monday, January 13th at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Ten Thoughts on the Vikings v. Rams Game
1 — Go back to what occurred in Week 8. Minnesota’s ferocious pass rush was neutralized, leaving Matthew Stafford far too comfortable in the pocket.
There are different elements to not getting home with the pass rush. Sometimes, the issue rests in the pass coverage. Allowing a receiver to get open almost immediately makes it very tough for an edge rusher to beat a blocker and then wallop the quarterback. At other times, though, the issue is up front. The pass rushers need to be able to beat their man. Some mix of those two things — the pass coverage and pass rush — need to coalesce to generate sacks.
Plus, there’s the one who is calling the shots and designing the defense: Coach Flores. Can the DC find a way to make Stafford skittish from start to finish? Not going to be easy. Stafford is a veteran who is as tough as anyone.
2 — The Kyren Williams problem is perhaps the problem for the Vikings. Jahmyr Gibbs just roasted Minnesota’s proud defense. Williams isn’t as good as Gibbs, but he’s similarly gifted insofar as he’s a back capable of accelerating in a hurry and doing damage as a pass catcher. Nullify the Rams’ RB1 and stand a far better chance of walking away with the win.
3 — Sam Darnold simply needs to be better. He played his worst game of the year in the season’s most important moment. The stats at the end showed a QB who had gone 18/41 (43.9%) for 166 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, and a 55.5 passer rating.
4 — Generally speaking, shutting down Justin Jefferson means letting the other skill players feast. That didn’t occur in Week 18. Jefferson had 9 targets go for 3 catches and 54 yards; T.J. Hockenson had 8 targets go for 2 catches and 9 yards; Jordan Addison had 6 targets go for 1 catch and 0 yards. Add up the top three pass catchers and they finished their day with 6 catches for 63 scoreless yards. Horrendous. A repeat means getting bounced in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
5 — How does the team slow down Puka Nacua? Byron Murphy Jr. could be the best bet, but the WR1 in LA is someone you look to contain rather than outright nullify. Keeping him to modest production is the goal.
6 — Picked at No. 17, MIN’s Dallas Turner finished his season with 300 snaps on defense. He picked up 20 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 QB hits, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 1 pass defended. His PFF grade finished off at 63.9. Picked at No. 19, LA’s Jared Verse finished his season with 834 snaps. He picked up 66 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 18 QB hits, 11 tackles for loss, 2 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. His PFF grade finished at 86.2.
7 — Aaron Jones put together a fantastic playoff performance for the Packers last year. Is an encore coming? He had a strong year, but seeing him rise to elite at just the right moment could lead to some playoff magic.
8 — Will Reichard is suddenly pretty shaky. No one claimed that being an NFL kicker was for the faint of heart. Physical talent isn’t the issue for the rookie; there’s plenty of leg strength. Furthermore, there’s a lot of experience in pressure-packed moments given that he went to Alabama. Still, there’s concern. The playoffs are a time when the margin for error shrinks, so a missed field goal or botched kickoff could be the difference.
9 — The Rams went 10-7 and won their division. However, they did so while being -19 in point differential.
10 — Kevin O’Connell won a Super Bowl as the Rams’ offensive coordinator back in 2021. He helped Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford get over the hump. O’Connell will understand how to attack that offense but so, too, will McVay have a great understanding of what his former coach likes to do. Can the Padawan overcome the Jedi?
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
Odds and Ends
Vikings at Rams Score Prediction
Burned for pessimism; burned for optimism. Can’t win, apparently. The predictions were wrong in Week 17 and Week 18, leaving the season prediction total at 12-5. Not bad, but could have been better.
We now move ahead to the playoffs. Can the Vikings — a team that lost a pair of games on the road during the regular season — pull off the win at SoFi Stadium during the opening round of the playoffs? Give me the team with horns on the helmet.
Final Score: Vikings 31 — Rams 27
Dad Joke of the Week
The dad joke:
“Two cats are having a swimming race. One is called ‘One two three’, the other ‘Un deux trois.’ Which cat won? ‘One two three’ because ‘Un deux trois cat sank.’” — Dadsaysjokes
Links for the Dinks
The Vikings’ Salary Cap Update is Looking Pretty Spiffy: Some good work from Over the Cap to clarify where Minnesota is going to be for cap space in 2025. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is going to have some money to spend.
The Vikings Have a Problem to Solve at a Critical Position: No doubt. We discussed it up top a little bit. Reichard needs to get back to his early-season form.
Dan Campbell Sent a Message to Kevin O’Connell: Certainly did. Apparently, Detroit’s HC thinks that Minnesota is going to take care of business in the opening round of the playoffs, potentially setting up a rematch at Ford Field.
Thanks for reading and take care of yourself.