Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have missed much of the season due to injuries, and the poor record of the Los Angeles Rams showed that impact.
When both star receivers returned for the same big game, they brought exactly what Matthew Stafford and the Rams had been lacking all year—something the Minnesota Vikings couldn’t match.
Kupp caught a touchdown pass, and Nacua had 106 receiving yards in their returns to the team. Stafford passed for 279 yards and four touchdowns in the Rams’ 30-20 win over the Vikings on Thursday night.
Demarcus Robinson caught two touchdown passes from Stafford for the Rams (3-4), who won back-to-back games for the first time this season. The offense looked much more dangerous with its top two receivers back, gaining 386 yards.
“They brought a lot of energy to our team, and a ton of confidence,” said Stafford, who had thrown only three touchdown passes in the Rams’ first six games combined. “It’s not only just the offense. I know the defense feels it too when those guys are out there making plays.”
After missing the last five games, Nacua caught seven passes, marking the eighth 100-yard game of his young career. Kupp, back from a four-game absence, made five catches for 51 yards, including a crucial 27-yard reception for a first down late in the fourth quarter.
“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.”
Kyren Williams rushed for 97 yards and caught an early touchdown pass for the Rams. Robinson caught a 25-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to give Los Angeles the lead, and he scored another 10-yard touchdown with 6:17 left to extend the lead to 28-20.
Byron Young then sacked Sam Darnold for a safety with 1:36 left, grabbing Darnold’s facemask during the play. The officials did not throw a flag, which helped the Rams secure their second win in five days after a rough start of 1-4 before their bye week.
“I believe in this group,” said coach Sean McVay, who became the winningest coach in Rams history with his 80th victory. “I saw resolve. I didn’t see a flinch. … We’ve done a good job of getting ourselves back to where we wanted to be.”
McVay also won his first matchup against Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, who was his offensive coordinator during the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning 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.”
Darnold passed for 240 yards for the Vikings (5-2), who struggled defensively after their first loss of the season. Minnesota also lost starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a knee injury late in the first half.
Justin Jefferson had eight receptions for 115 yards, while Josh Oliver and Trent Sherfield caught touchdown passes from Darnold. Minnesota managed only two field goals in the last three quarters.
“As an offense, we’ve got to just be more consistent,” Darnold said. “The facemask, it is what it is. I thought we could have done a lot to not put ourselves in the situation we were in.”
Stafford threw at least four touchdown passes for the 16th time in his career, including four with the Rams. The veteran also passed Dan Marino to take ninth place in NFL history for total completions.
Both teams scored touchdowns on their first two drives in front of a sold-out crowd at SoFi Stadium. Darnold completed all eight of his passes on those drives, while Stafford clearly enjoyed having his two top receivers back on the field.
Williams caught a short pass on the Rams’ opening drive and scored a touchdown in his 10th straight game. The Vikings hadn’t allowed a touchdown in the first quarter all season, and the Rams hadn’t scored on their first drive all season.
Byron Murphy intercepted an overthrown pass from Stafford in the third quarter, and Minnesota took a 17-14 lead after Jefferson kept the drive alive with a bobbling, one-handed catch.
