Vikings Defense Records Pick but No Sacks of Matthew Stafford

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Vikings defense isn't making any excuses for a 30-20 road loss to the Rams.

Minnesota (5-2) kept it close throughout most of the Thursday Night Football contest, but the Vikings just couldn't quite close – a theme that seemed illustrated in one single play.

On second-and-goal five minutes into the second quarter, the Vikings seemed to have Matthew Stafford just where they wanted him. Purple jerseys swarmed him, but the QB spun out of a Jonathan Greenard sack attempt and then ducked beneath Harrison Phillips' follow-up attempt.

Fully free, Stafford aimed and fired a touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp in the end zone to tie the game at 14.

"You gotta make it," a frustrated Greenard said postgame. "You've just gotta make that."

The Vikings struggled to pressure Stafford all night, never recording a sack.

"I think we were close on some plays in the passing game, but when you're playing against that quarterback and those receivers (Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua) getting healthy and making some plays for him, I just think it comes down to, can we get enough rush and coverage working together to maybe not give a quarterback like that a couple of extra clicks?" Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell said. "And we've got to tighten up and try to get off the field and find some of those third-down plays where drives were extended not necessarily by conversions. I thought those were critical plays because we did some good things defensively in those moments."

Stafford finished the evening 25-of-34 passing for 279 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. His passer rating was 124.5.

The Rams totaled 26 first downs, with five by rushing, 16 by passing and five by penalties.

Minnesota again felt the absence of Blake Cashman, who was sidelined for a second straight game with turf toe, and experienced ups and downs throughout the evening.

The Vikings offense scored quickly to open the game, driving down the field for a Josh Oliver touchdown. But the Rams responded in kind, matching with a drive of their own capped with a 5-yard score by Kyren Williams.

Minnesota allowed L.A. to net 192 yards of offense through the first two quarters, 87 rushing and 105 passing.

Four days after the Vikings drew seven flags offensively, it was the defensive unit that committed costly penalties Thursday. A hands-to-the-facemask penalty, illegal use of the hands, defensive holding and defensive pass interference all helped the Rams advance down the field for the Kupp touchdown.

"We made too many mistakes," Shaq Griffin said. "Too many 1-on-1s we didn't win. That's something that we harp on. We need to get back to – [executing]."

The Vikings single interception occurred early in the third quarter, when Byron Murphy, Jr., took advantage of an errant Stafford pass and hauled it in for the pick.

Murphy's takeaway gave Minnesota back the ball at its own 27, and Sam Darnold led a drive that ended with a 23-yard field goal by Will Reichard.

The defense didn't hold up on the following drive, however, and a touchdown pass from Stafford to Demarcus Robinson gave the Rams a quick 21-17 lead.

A second touchdown to Robinson in the fourth quarter, following an offensive drive in which the Vikings again had to settle for a Reichard field goal, capped a drive that lasted 6:30 and made it 28-20 with 6:17 remaining in the game.

Stafford completed passes to nine different players Thursday night but none more than Nacua, who racked up seven catches for 106 yards. The receiver damaged Minnesota again and again during his first game back since a knee injury in Week 1.

Kupp had five catches for 51 yards and the touchdown in his return to action.

The receivers also played roles in blocking for Rams running back Kyren Williams, who rushed 23 times for 97 of L.A.'s 107 yards on the ground.

Griffin said the Vikings weren't surprised by the way L.A. attacked them but couldn't find a solid answer for it – particularly on the intermediate throws.

"We've been dealing with teams that kind of hit us in those same areas, take advantage of that," Griffin said. "We're seeing more screens; we're seeing more run attacks. They're trying to get us to tackle, you know, setting up plays so they can ditch-and-dump here and there.

"I don't think this will be the last time we're gonna see this," he added, "so there's a lot we've got to fix."

Thursday's loss dropped the Vikings to 5-2 on the season. Next up they'll host the Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium Nov. 3, when they'll look to bounce back and reestablish a defensive identity.

Griffin and Greenard both emphasized the importance of sticking together as a team and not "hitting the panic button" after back-to-back losses.

"It's a long season. The same way we celebrate the wins, we've got to be able to hold each other [up] when it comes to these tough losses," Griffin said. "We've got to continue to fix what we did wrong. We've got to be critical of ourselves, to understand we can't point fingers. And we've got to … take full accountability, you know, we made mistakes, and we've got to move on from it.

"We've all got to stick with each other. The older guys to the young guys, we've got to stay close to each other. We've got to fix those things we need to fix," Griffin added. "I think everybody's still in high spirits, but no one likes this feeling, and we've gotta fix it."