10 takeaways from Rams playoff win over Vikings

Rams defenses takes over in 27-9 win over Vikings

The Los Angeles Rams got their eighth playoff win under head coach Sean McVay on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. Under crazy circumstances, the Rams beat the Vikings 27-9 and will now advance to play the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional round. Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense were efficient while the defense took over the game. Here are my 10 takeaways from the win.

1. Rams offense got the fast start it needed

Throughout the regular season, the Rams offense struggled starting games. The Rams came into the game as one of the worst first quarter teams while the Vikings came in as one of the best. The offense failed to score a touchdown in 13 of its 16 games this season, but did so in two of their biggest wins. They needed to set the tone on Monday Night with an opening drive touchdown and did just that.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford found Puka Nacua on the first play of the game for 27 yards and then hit Tyler Higbee two plays later for a gain of 23. These were the explosive plays that the offense had been missing in recent weeks. Stafford capped off the drive with a touchdown pass to Kyren Williams after maneuvering in the pocket to buy extra time. Stafford went 10-for-11 on the first two drives and the Rams offense went up 10-0 because of it.

2. Matthew Stafford still has it

Matthew Stafford’s stat line may not have been impressive on Monday Night as he only threw for 202-yards. However, from a throw for throw standpoint, Stafford was extremely sharp. He finished with an EPA per dropback of 0.12 and success rate of 46.7 percent. His throws on the opening drive to Higbee down the seam and then Williams in the end zone displayed why he is considered a top-5 quarterback and why he is the best quarterback remaining in the NFC. While he may have gotten a little lucky, his awareness to get rid of the ball before getting sacked was a heads up play.

The Rams needed a ‘playoff Matthew Stafford’ caliber performance against the Vikings and they got it. For just the second time in his career, Stafford went into a playoff game as an underdog and came out with the win. The Rams will only go as far as Stafford will take them. If Stafford plays like he did against the Vikings, they’ll go far.

3. Concerned about weapons outside of Puka Nacua

Despite the better offensive performance, there are still some concerns about the Rams offense outside of Puka Nacua. Cooper Kupp is good on a vertical plane, but anything that requires making a cut, he doesn’t seem like the same player. Demarcus Robinson has one reception on his last seven targets from Stafford. Higbee has shown his importance in the passing game with five receptions in each of the last two games. With that said, after Higbee left the game, the Rams passing game took a step back.

If the Rams are going to make a deep run in the playoffs, they need another wide receiver to step up. Jordan Whittington played 11 snaps on Monday Night while Tutu Atwell played one. Finding a threat outside of Nacua has been one of the offense’s bigger issues recently and that wasn’t solved against the Vikings.

4. Jared Verse is a big game player

Big players show up in big games and in big moments. Despite being a rookie and playing in his first playoff game, Rams rookie edge rusher Jared Verse played one of the best, if not the best, game of his career. Verse finished with seven pressures, including a 20.6 percent pressure rate. It was the fourth time this season that the Rams rookie finished with seven or more pressures.

Coming into the game, the Rams needed Verse to win the matchup against left tackle Cam Robinson. Verse consistently impacted the game in a positive way and it was capped off by his first career touchdown on a scoop and score to put the Rams up 17-3. There were questions before the season on how the Rams were going to replace Aaron Donald. With Donald in a suite at State Farm Stadium, Verse showed that the Rams defense is in good hands moving forward.

5. Defensive line took over

Before the game, I noted that this might be the deepest defensive line in the NFC and that with help from the offense, this was a group that could carry the team. The defensive line took over the game against the Vikings. NFL Pro credited the Rams defense with 26 pressures which was eight more than any other team on Wild Card weekend. Jared Verse and Byron Young had seven and six pressures while Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske had three and four.

Despite being double-teamed on 63.3 percent of his pass rush snaps, Turner had a 13.3 percent pressure rate, including two sacks. The Rams defense finished with as many sacks as the Vikings did points. This is a group that is going to play against better quarterbacks and offensive lines as the playoffs progress. It’s not likely that the Rams get a repeat performance. However, if they can continue to own in the trenches on that side of the ball, they’ll make things very difficult for opposing offenses.

6. Rams need to find run game moving forward

There wasn’t a lot that didn’t go right for the Rams on Monday Night. With that said, the Rams struggled to find consistency in the run game. That was especially the case in the second half as they were trying to bleed the clock. The Rams had a rushing success rate of just 38.1 percent for the game which dropped to 31.3 percent in the second half.

The Vikings game in with one of the better running defenses in the NFL. Kyren Williams didn’t necessarily have a bad game as he still averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He also had a few big runs get called back due to holding penalties. Still, they struggled to find room in the run game and the Rams will need to be able to find a way to run the ball moving forward in the playoffs.

7. Cobie Durant shut down Justin Jefferson

Durant arguably took over the game in the secondary. The Rams cornerback was targeted twice on 31 coverage snaps and gave up just one catch for seven yards. He also had an interception and a sack. Durant frequently lined up against Jefferson and the Vikings wide receiver didn’t have a single catch against him.

There was a lot of concern that the Rams defense wouldn’t be able to hold up against the Vikings offense and pass catchers. Jefferson finished with just five receptions for 58 yards and Jordan Addison had three receptions for 29. Durant has been inconsistent at times this year, but his best game of the season came on Monday Night against the Vikings.

8. Chris Shula has defense playing at a high level

It can’t be understated how well Chris Shula has this Rams defense playing right now. When the starting defense has played, they haven’t given up more than 10 points in four games. It’s one thing to do it against the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets in bad weather as well as against the Arizona Cardinals. To hold this version of the Vikings offense under 10 points may have been the most impressive performance of the season for this defense.

All week, the national media didn’t give the Rams defense much of a chance to hold up against the Vikings. The Rams defense allowed -0.62 EPA per pass and -0.41 EPA per play overall. Since giving up 42 points against the Buffalo Bills, this is a group under Chris Shula that is playing like one of the best units in the NFL. It’s hard to say at this point whether or not this is a championship caliber defense. With that said, they aren’t losing games for the Rams either.

9. With Sean McVay in charge, Rams always have a chance

Sean McVay showed why he is one of the best head coaches in the NFL, if not the best. The Rams came into the game under some crazy circumstances. While they won the NFC West, they wouldn’t host a playoff game. The practice schedule during the week got disrupted due to the wildfires in Los Angeles. At the last minute, the Rams were informed that they would be playing at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.

Despite the chaos, McVay had this Rams team prepared and ready to play. Despite the loss the previous week, the Vikings were still a 14-win football team and seen as a potential contender. McVay’s gameplan coming in was one of his best of the season and that showed in the result. With McVay at the helm, the Rams will always have a chance against any team. Navigating circumstances that the team went through last week show why McVay is a top NFL coach.

10. This win was for Los Angeles

The game against the Vikings was going to go one of two ways for the Rams. They were either going to come out and play with a lot of emotion and get the win for the city. The other option was that they could come out flat with everything that was going on in Los Angeles. Being at the game, it was obvious that this Rams team was going to be playing for their city from the very start. The crowd was 50-50 at best, but the Rams players were very much appreciative of the fans who did make the trip.

Following a sack, Michael Hoecht threw up the “LA” hand signal in celebration. After the game, Rams players interacted with fans sitting behind the bench. The Rams very clearly understood what a win would mean for the city and they played like it. Outside of the Bills win earlier this season, the playoff win against the Vikings may have been the most impressive in 2024 for this group.