LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 279 yards and four touchdowns in an impressive 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.
Star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua returned from injury to give Stafford and the Rams what they have been missing all year, with Kupp catching a touchdown pass and Nacua picking up 106 yards receiving.
Demarcus Robinson caught two TD passes from Stafford for the Rams (3-4), who won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
“They brought a lot of energy to our team, and a ton of confidence,” said Stafford, who had thrown just three TD passes in the Rams’ first six games. “It’s not only just the offense. I know the defense feels it too when those guys are out there making plays.”
“It was just so much fun,” Kupp said. “Offensively, we were just able to find ways to keep the sticks moving. Guys were just doing their jobs, and it was pretty cool to see us going.”
Before tonight, Matthew Stafford had 3 total TDs this season.
His stats vs Minnesota:
💥 25/34
💥 239 YDs
💥 4 TDs
💥 124.5 passer rating— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2024
Rams coach Sean McVay won his first head-to-head meeting with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, who was his offensive coordinator during the Rams’ Super Bowl championship season three years ago.
“I think we were close on some plays,” O’Connell said.
“But when you’re playing against that quarterback, and those receivers getting healthy and getting out there and making some plays for them, I just think it comes down to (whether we) can get enough rush and coverage working together to maybe not give a quarterback like that a couple extra clicks.”
Sam Darnold passed for 240 yards for the Vikings (5-2), who followed up their first loss of the season with an ineffective defensive performance.
Justin Jefferson had eight receptions for 115 yards, while Josh Oliver and Trent Sherfield caught TD passes from Darnold. After a bright start, Minnesota were held to two field goals in the final three quarters.
“As an offense, we’ve got to just be more consistent,” Darnold said.
