The Minnesota Vikings (5-1) travel to take on the Los Angeles Rams (2-4) to begin Week 8. Minnesota started the season strong winning five consecutive games. However, they were handed their first loss on Sunday against the Lions, who defeated them 31-29.
Quarterback Sam Darnold has been excellent for the Vikings in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense, throwing 12 touchdowns to five interceptions entering Week 8. Minnesota’s defense ranks first in defensive DVOA at FTN entering tonight.
The Rams come into “Thursday Night Football” off a win after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 20-15 in Week 7. The Rams offense has struggled without their dynamic duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, but Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford will have reinforcements with both receivers back.
The Rams’ toughest task on Thursday night will be trying to slow Justin Jefferson.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the matchup below:
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Robinson ran an excellent post-corner route to beat the Vikings’ zone coverage in the end zone. Stafford found his receiver in the back-right quadrant of the end zone for his fourth passing touchdown to extend the Rams’ lead.
It’s 28-20 Rams with 6:17 remaining in the game.
Through seven games, the rookie kicker is a perfect 14-for-14 on field goal attempts and 20-for-20 on PATs. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, his 35-yard field goal cut his team’s deficit to one point.
It’s 21-20 Rams with just under 13 minutes left to play.
With 15 minutes left to play, Minnesota is at risk of dropping its second straight game after opening the season with five straight wins. The Vikings will have the ball on the Los Angeles 48-yard line on third-and-3 to open the fourth quarter.
Matthew Stafford slotted in a perfectly-placed pass to Robinson for a 25-yard touchdown to cap off another 70-yard drive. Thanks to the excellent placement, Robinson was able to make the catch between his defender’s arms, giving the Rams their first lead of the game.
It’s 21-17 Los Angeles with 2:36 remaining in the third quarter
The Vikings’ kicker has not missed a field goal yet this season. His latest attempt, a 23-yarder, put Minnesota back in the lead with 6:22 left in the third quarter.
It’s 17-14 Vikings.
While being held, Jefferson reached out with one hand to attempt a catch on a deep pass from Sam Darnold. He bobbled the ball several times before securing the catch as he fell out of bounds to set the Vikings up at the Los Angeles 4-yard line.
Los Angeles made it into Vikings territory on its first drive of the second half, but Murphy stopped the Rams’ progress with an interception. Murphy’s play gave Minnesota the ball back at its own 27-yard line with 12:08 left in the third quarter.
The game is still tied, 14-14.
Darrisaw got rolled up on during one of the final plays of the first half and went down holding his left knee. Vikings medical personnel tended to the star tackle on the field before helping him walk back to the locker room. Darrisaw appeared unable to put much weight on his left leg on his way back.
David Quessenberry replaced Darrisaw for a QB kneel that was the last play of the half.
Darrisaw has been ruled out for the game with a knee injury.
The Rams’ quarterback avoided sack attempts from two separate Vikings defenders with a juke and a duck-under during a second-and-goal play from the Minnesota 7. As he scrambled in the pocket, Stafford threw a bullet to Kupp, who had missed Los Angeles’ last four games after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2.
This game is tied back up at 14 points each with 10 minutes left in the first half.
At the end of the first quarter, Los Angeles has the ball near midfield as it continues its second offensive drive. Puka Nacua leads all Rams offensive players with 50 yards from scrimmage on three catches.
Minnesota worked another methodical, 70-yard drive on its second possession of the game. Darnold hit Sherfield on a 10-yard pass out of a play-action fake to stay perfect and put his team back ahead.
Darnold is 8-for-8 for 97 yards and two touchdown passes after the first two Vikings offensive drives.
It’s 14-7 Minnesota with under one minute to play in the first quarter.
The Rams’ running back ran an angle route out of the backfield and ended up wide open over the middle. Matthew Stafford made the easy pass, and Los Angeles capped off a 70-yard drive with a touchdown to match Minnesota’s opening possession. It’s the first touchdown the Vikings have allowed in the first quarter all year.
The game is tied at 7 with 6:38 left in the first quarter.
Nacua dropped his first target on the Rams’ first offensive drive, but that didn’t stop quarterback Matthew Stafford from going back his way on the next play. The second-year receiver picked up 13 yards on his first catch.
He’s back in action after recovering from a knee injury he sustained in Week 1.
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones combined for 65 yards on the Vikings’ first drive of the night, but it was tight end Josh Oliver who came away with the score on the 70-yard drive. Quarterback Sam Darnold found him wide open over the middle on a flat route, and Oliver trotted in for an easy, 5-yard touchdown.
It’s 7-0 Minnesota with 10:43 left in the first quarter.
Curl was tackling Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson on the first possession of the game when he suffered a lower-body injury. The Rams’ safety grabbed at his left knee while down on the turf after making the tackle.
Rookie safety Kamren Kinchens took over for Curl after the play. The Rams announced Curl is questionable to return with a knee injury.
The Rams and Vikings game will kick off Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season with “Thursday Night Football” at 8:15 p.m. ET.
“Thursday Night Football” will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the “TNF” matchup between the Vikings and Rams will go:
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The Rams enter the Week 8 “TNF” showdown in last place in the NFC West. With a win tonight Los Angeles would move into third ahead of the 49ers whom they defeated in Week 3. They would remain behind the Cardinals who defeated them in Week 2 and currently own the tiebreaker.
The Vikings enter the Week 8 “TNF” showdown in second place in the NFC North. The Lions defeated the Vikings last week and currently own the tiebreaker in the division.
It’s going to be a clear night in Inglewood with a high of 68 degrees at kickoff and a low of 63 degrees at 9 p.m. PT. According to the Weather Channel, winds will max out at eight mph while chances of precipitation are under 3% for the entire game. The game will be played indoors at SoFi Stadium where the weather will have no effect.
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Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Prime Video, with Kaylee Hartung (sideline) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.
The Prime Video pregame, halftime and postgame shows feature Charissa Thompson as host, as well as former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth as analysts.
Taylor Rooks is the feature reporter for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage. Albert Breer provides reports and analysis.
These NFC opponents have met 47 times in history including seven playoff matchups. The Vikings lead the matchup all-time with a 27-18-2 record.
The most recent matchup was in December 2021 in Week 16 where the Rams were victorious in a 30-23 win on the road in Minnesota. The win helped carry the Rams’ momentum into the final two weeks of the season and into the playoffs where they ultimately won the Super Bowl over the Bengals.
The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand initially reported that Michaels’ contract would be for three years and “north of $30 million,” but that number may have gone up.
About one week after that first report, in March 2022, Marchand shared that the Amazon deal would be “in the Joe Buck neighborhood.” Buck signed a five-year, $75 million deal ($15 million annually) with ESPN earlier that same month.
We have a complete list at every position:
The NFL’s top 18 players in average annual salary are all quarterbacks, according to OverTheCap.com. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott became the league’s highest-paid player in the preseason, agreeing to a four-year, $240 million deal. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the first non-quarterback on the highest-paid list after striking a four-year, $140 million contract extension this offseason.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Rams are getting both their wide receivers back Thursday night.
Puka Nacua is officially active versus the Minnesota Vikings, the Rams announced.
Nacua had his 21-day practice window officially open up this week. The Rams then activated Nacua off injured reserve a few hours before Thursday’s game, setting the stage for him to make a return.
The Rams placed Nacua on injured reserve following the team’s Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions due to a knee injury. He’s missed the past five contests.
Los Angeles will also see the return of wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who’s missed the last four games. Nacua and Kupp have only played in one game together this season. — Tyler Dragon
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