|
The Vikings played on Monday night this week, while the Rams
took the field for a rare Tuesday night affair, leaving both
teams scrambling to get ready for their Sunday tilt in
Minneapolis.
Minnesota (7-7) has won consecutive games since losing to the
then-winless Detroit Lions. The Vikings defeated the Chicago
Bears 17-9 on Monday in a less-than-inspiring performance
against one of the NFC's more anemic teams.
The Vikings produced just 193 total yards against Chicago and
converted only 5 of 17 third downs. They cashed in on three
Bears fumbles to stay in the thick of the NFC playoff picture.
Entering the weekend, Minnesota is tied with the Philadelphia
Eagles and New Orleans Saints for the conference's seventh and
final playoff spot.
"I think we have work (to do)," Minnesota quarterback Kirk
Cousins said. "I think there is a lot to improve upon. We're
playing three really good opponents up ahead. We're probably
going to need everyone, so there is not a lot of room for error
and we have to tighten the screws here and play our best
football down the stretch."
The good news for the Vikings is that two of their final three
regular-season games are at home. The bad news is that the Rams
(10-4) have won three straight to move into a tie with the
Arizona Cardinals atop the NFC West. Los Angeles can clinch a
playoff berth this weekend with a win over Minnesota (or with a
loss to the Vikings plus help elsewhere).
Cooper Kupp hauled in nine catches for 136 yards and two
touchdowns on Tuesday in the Rams' 20-10 triumph over the
Seattle Seahawks. He has 10 straight games with at least 90
receiving yards, and he leads the league by a large margin with
both 122 catches and 1,625 receiving yards.
"He's a great player, (and) he's having a fantastic season,"
said Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has 11
touchdown passes in the past four games. "He's such a huge part
of what we do as a team, not only on offense.
"I'm just happy that I get a chance to play with a guy like
that. I know a lot of other guys on our team feel the same way.
We're just proud of him, watching him do his thing."
The Stafford-Kupp connection could be in line for a big day
against a Vikings defense that allows 252.1 passing yards per
game -- fourth most in the NFL.
Additionally, Los Angeles will be getting right tackle Rob
Havenstein back from COVID-19 protocols after he missed the
Seattle game.
Minnesota might have the services of wideout Adam Thielen
(ankle) on Sunday, although he did not participate in
Wednesday's walkthrough. Cousins (ribs) was a limited
participant, as well, while running back Dalvin Cook (shoulder)
was a full participant.
The Vikings lead the all-time series 22-15-2 and had won five in
a row against the Rams before falling 38-31 in September 2018.
Kupp racked up nine catches for 162 yards and two scores in that
contest.
--Field Level Media
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
