The Rams dominate the Vikings and will face the Eagles in the divisional round

GLENDALE, Ariz. — In a playoff game moved from SoFi Stadium due to wildfires in Southern California, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 on Monday night to advance to the divisional round .

It was an impressive performance for a young defense that has taken a giant step forward since the start of the season, including a 41-10 blowout at State Farm Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2.

But on Monday night, the Rams attacked Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold early and often, and Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Jared Verse recovered a fumble and ran it for a touchdown to give Los Angeles a 17-3 lead in the second quarter.

Darnold had a total of nine sacks in one night, tying an NFL playoff record, and Minnesota’s offense failed to gain much momentum.

The Rams’ playoff victory, their first since winning Super Bowl LVI during the 2021 season, came as players and coaches wore Los Angeles Fire Department hats and T-shirts on the sideline to honor the first responders who They were fighting fires in Los Angeles.

Next comes the divisional round of the playoffs, where the Rams will travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles on Sunday.

These are the most important things both teams should know:

QB Breakdown: Matthew Stafford completed 19 of 27 passes for 209 yards with two touchdowns and was sacked twice. He completed 12 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns to running backs and tight ends. According to ESPN Research, that’s his most yards and touchdown passes in a game this season.

Most surprising performance: The Rams’ good offensive start. Los Angeles has struggled to score early all season, but that wasn’t the case Monday night as the Rams scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the third time this season, according to ESPN Research. It was a seven-play, 70-yard drive. Stafford was 6 of 6 for 64 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to running back Kyren Williams.

Fundamental game: Early in the second quarter, Stafford was hit by Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard. The play was initially ruled a Vikings fumble and touchdown after Blake Cashman’s scoop and score. That would have tied the game at 10 pending an extra point, but the call was reversed to an incomplete pass and the Rams kept the ball.

Describe the game in two words: Bag attack. The Rams sacked Darnold nine times, tying an NFL playoff record. Darnold was sacked six times in the first half, the most in any half of any game of his career. According to ESPN Research, the last team with six sacks in the first half of a playoff game was Washington in the January 1988 NFC Championship Game against Minnesota. -Sarah Barshop

Next match: at Eagles (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET)

The Vikings’ dream season collapsed in their final two (and most important) games of the year. Now they’ll have the offseason to figure out why and what to do about it.

At the center of the discussion will be Darnold, who had a second straight shaky performance after appearing to resurrect his career during a magical regular season. He struggled Monday night making decisions in the pocket, ultimately recording six sacks in the first half alone after holding the ball for an average of 4.52 seconds on those dropbacks, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He lost a fumble on one of those sacks, which Rams linebacker Jared Verse returned for a touchdown, and also threw an interception in the first half.

That outing came a week after he completed just 18 of 41 passes in a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18, a game in which he missed on at least three potential touchdown opportunities.

Darnold threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns during the regular season, leading the Vikings to consider whether they should bring him back next season and delay the coronation of rookie JJ McCarthy. But the last two games of this season could make that argument moot.

Surprising Statistic: In a testament to Darnold’s (and the rest of the offense’s) struggles, the Vikings went 21 consecutive drives without a touchdown before tight end TJ Hockenson scored on a 26-yard reception in the third quarter. The streak, which dates back to their Week 17 victory over the Green Bay Packers, was the longest since coach Kevin O’Connell arrived to start the 2022 season.

Most surprising performance: O’Connell’s lack of adjustments. He has expressed extreme confidence in Darnold all season and said once again last week that he was confident Darnold would bounce back from his performance in Detroit. But O’Connell had no substantial adjustments on hand if Darnold fell short. He named Daniel Jones his third quarterback, meaning he was ineligible to replace Darnold for performance reasons, and continued to call passing plays that left Darnold exhausted in the face of a Rams pass rush that recorded sacks in six. of the nine pressures he received. that first half.

Biggest hole in the game plan: After failing to put much pressure on Stafford in the teams’ regular-season matchup, the Vikings blitzed him on four of their first six dropbacks during the first possession of Monday night’s game. It didn’t work. Stafford overcame those charges, leading the Rams to a touchdown drive that set the tone for the entire game. –Kevin Seifert