The Rams defeated the Vikings 30-20 when these two teams met in Week 8 of the regular season on “Thursday Night Football.”
The loss became little more than a blip in Minnesota’s season, as the Vikings rattled off nine straight wins and had a chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC before losing to the Detroit Lions in their Week 18 season finale.
For the Rams, however, their victory became a major pivot point. After trade rumors surrounded veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp during L.A.’s 2-4 start, Kupp and Puka Nacua helped the Rams with a touchdown catch and over 100 receiving yards, respectively, in their returns from early-season injuries to help beat the Vikings. Head coach Sean McVay emphatically stated after the game that the Rams were keeping Kupp through the midseason trade deadline, which they did. L.A. then went 7-3 the rest of the way to win the NFC West.
Check out The Athletic’s takeaways from the first Vikings-Rams meeting below!
GO FURTHER
Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp return to boost Rams offense in win vs. Vikings: Key takeaways