Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford came into Thursday’s game with just three touchdowns amid an injury-riddled season.
Stafford got former Super Bowl MVP wide receiver, Cooper Kupp, back on the field, and the duo shined in a 30–20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings (5–2). While Stafford and Kupp connected only once for a touchdown, Stafford threw four touchdowns overall in a critical victory for the 3–4 Rams at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles also had wideout Puka Nacua back from injury, and he led the way with seven catches for 106 yards. Kupp had 51 yards on five catches.
“It was so great having Puka and Cooper back,” Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters afterward. “There’s an energy, there’s a spark that the defense fed off of those guys.”
Minnesota came in as one of the hottest teams in the league despite a tight loss to the Detroit Lions, Stafford’s former team, in Week 7. The Vikings jumped on the Rams early with a touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Darnold to tight end Josh Oliver, but Stafford went to work after that.
Stafford led a nine-play, 70-yard drive, capped by his 5-yard touchdown pass to running back Kyren Williams. Darnold, a former USC standout, answered with another touchdown on a 10-yard pass to wideout Trent Sherfield Sr., but Stafford countered with a 7-yard touchdown to Kupp.
Stafford kept coming in the second half with a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for the go-ahead score, 21–17. The two connected again on a 10-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, which gave the Rams a 28–20 lead.
Stafford finished with 279 yards on 25–34 passing for a season-high 73.5 percent completion rate, and he didn’t take any sacks for the first time this season. His only blip came on an interception by Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy in the third quarter. Stafford had more interceptions, four, than touchdowns going into the primetime game.
Stafford hadn’t gone over 260 yards in a game since Week 1 when he threw for 317 yards against the Lions, which traded him to the Rams in 2021. Los Angeles won a Super Bowl with Stafford at quarterback that season, but injuries have beset the Rams in recent years.
In addition, the Rams’s defense lost a major star before this season when eight-time All-Pro defensive end Aaron Donald retired. The Rams took some lumps defensively early in the season with 41 points allowed against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 plus another three games of 24 points allowed afterward.
On Thursday, the Rams limited the Vikings to a pair of second-half field goals and limited running back Aaron Jones to 58 yards. In addition, the Rams kept both Jones and star wideout Justin Jefferson out of the end zone.
What once looked like a bleak start for Stafford and the Rams could turn around, especially amid an NFC West where no one is running away with the division. The Rams get a shot at moving up in the division race in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks (4–3).
“Today was a real positive, but it’s one game,” McVay said.
Minnesota meanwhile lost for the second time in five days after a 5–0 start to the season, and the team lost tackle Christian Darrisaw to a knee injury. The Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts (4–3) for Sunday Night Football in Week 9.
“We’ll get back to work,” O’Connell said. “We’re a 5–2 football team with a lot of football in front of us.”
