Vikings Sent Home! Rams Dominate in Wild Card Playoff Battle
- Jake Barkin
- Jan 14
- 4 min read
Last night concluded the final Monday night football game of the 2024 season as the Los Angeles Rams faced off against the Minnesota Vikings with the final divisional round spot left up for stakes. With a game filled with big momentum swings and chaotic plays, it was surely an entertaining game, to say the least. Due to the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders winning their wildcard games on Sunday, the winner of the Rams and Vikings game would advance to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.
Going into the game, emotions were very high as the people of Los Angeles were still trying to survive and recover from everything going on in the Los Angeles wildfires. The fires got so severe that the Rams were unable to even host their wildcard game at Sofi Stadium and had to relocate to State Farm Stadium home of the Arizona Cardinals. While many local Rams fans made the short trip to Arizona, the stadium was full of both Rams and Vikings fans with even some Cardinals fans in attendance too as they wanted to watch the playoff game even if their team was eliminated during the regular season. Without home-field advantage, it seemed like the 10-7 Rams were no match for the 14-3 Vikings as the Vikings became even larger favourites once the game got relocated to Arizona. As the game began, the Rams started out fast-hitting star receiver Puka Nacua and tight end Tyler Higbee which resulted in a passing touchdown caught by Rams running back Kyren Williams. As the game progressed, the Rams were efficient in throwing the ball as Rams Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford was accurate and not missing many passes. On the other hand, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was a lot worse in his playoff debut. With the run game failing, Sam Darnold had to adapt from using Aaron Jones and start passing to his talented receivers.
Unfortunately, the Vikings even on a good drive struggled in the red zone which has been an issue for head coach and offensive play caller Kevin O’Connell all season. Nearing the end of the first half, the Rams had a slight 10-3 lead with the Vikings looking to tie the game. However, Rams rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse recovered a fumble caused by Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon for a touchdown growing their lead even further. The touchdown was caused by a well-designed blitz in addition to Darnold not getting the ball off in time resulting in sacks and lost fumbles which was a recurring theme during this game. The Rams ended the half with another passing touchdown caught by Davis Allen to extend the lead to 21-3. As the second half started, it was evident that Kevin O’Connell lost all his trust in his quarterback as he decided to punt the ball on various possessions in the second half even down three possessions by doing so conceding the game. Sam Darnold did not improve whatsoever as even his completions were thrown behind his receivers forcing them to adjust and catch difficult passes. One of Darnold’s inaccurate passes still resulted in a touchdown scored by Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson who made a great adjustment on touchdown reception. While it looked like Sam Darnold lost a lot of self-confidence, he never gave up on his offensive line as he would hold the ball for an excessive amount of time trying to create a play down the field. Instead, Darnold would either get sacked or turn the ball over as he threw an interception in addition to getting sacked nine times! With the Rams running the clock out, the game ended fairly quickly by a score of 27-9.
Going into the future, the Rams will now travel to Philadelphia where they will face another 14-3 contender on the road. While the Rams played spectacularly in their first playoff game this season, they will have to repeat another flawless performance if they want to get by the Eagles who have a top-ranked offence and defence. While the Rams on paper look outmatched against the Eagles, head coach and offensive play caller Sean McVay can pull off another upset. I believe he is a much better head coach than Eagles head coach and offensive play caller Nick Sirianni. Not only does Sean McVay have a Super Bowl on his resume, but he has turned his Rams team into a contender no matter the roster for almost every year he has been coaching the Rams. In contrast, Nick Siranni is a much worse play-caller who has even been stripped of play-calling duties while still serving as the Eagles head coach. More importantly, Sirianni’s decision-making specifically 4th downs and using time outs has lost the Eagles many important games including a Super Bowl two seasons ago. With the Eagles having a better roster and home-field advantage and the Rams having a severe coaching advantage, this divisional-round matchup should be extremely entertaining to watch.
That is it for Monday night's wildcard recap. Let me know what your thoughts are on last night’s playoff game and if you believe the Rams can make a deep playoff run. Comment down below what you think the Vikings will do with Sam Darnold and if they will let him go to start their rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy instead. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s article as I will be breaking down and analyzing the AFC divisional round playoff matchups. Stay updated by following the official X account of Blitz & Brawlers and try out our brand-new quiz!
Comments