Five extra points: Rams open strong, face little resistance from Vikings

The average first drive against the Vikings’ defense before Thursday: Four plays, 8.7 yards, 0.5 first downs, 0.0 points. The Rams’ first drive: Nine plays, 70 yards, four first downs, one touchdown. How? Quick, tone-setting throws and a 6-yard average on three equally tone-setting rushes. The Vikings blitzed Matthew Stafford twice on six throws, but he felt zero pressure, completing four balls, including a drop by Puka Nacua and 7-yard TD to Cooper Kupp. The Vikings also opened with a touchdown, led 14-7 entering the second quarter and have outscored the opposition 72-10 in the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they were shut out 7-0 in the second quarter and trail their opponents 49-38 in that quarter.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ vaunted blitz package looked tired on the road on a short week. Flores rushed five or more 11 times on Stafford’s 34 dropbacks. Stafford wasn’t sacked. He wasn’t knocked down. And he was pressured only three times, none in the second half. Only one of the pressures came on a blitz. The Vikings’ best pressure of the night was wiped out by penalties. The Rams had five first downs by penalty in crucial situations. Pass interference on Stephon Gilmore ruined a great blitz on third-and-7 at the Vikings’ 11 and led to a touchdown. Illegal hands to the face on Jihad Ward on a third-and-10 ruined a great three-man rush. Byron Murphy Jr. also held on a third-and-7.

Justin Jefferson was targeted five times with five catches for 68 yards as the Vikings opened with back-to-back touchdowns. He was targeted only four times after that, including zero in the fourth quarter. Of course, the officials’ no-call gaffe with 1:36 left played a huge role in Jefferson not seeing any targets from that point on. Rams edge rusher Byron Young clearly yanked Sam Darnold down by the facemask in the end zone for a safety, but wasn’t flagged. Darnold has no excuse for not looking to Jefferson on the other two fourth-quarter possessions, including a third-and-21 situation that begged for Jefferson’s magic. Jefferson has been targeted 60 times in seven games, the fewest since his rookie season (40).

Stafford’s 62.6 passer rating in last week’s win over the lowly Raiders was his lowest as a Ram and his worst since a 47.9 in Week 1 of the Lions’ 2018 season. So what happens against one of the best defenses in the league? He posts a 124.5 rating and throws four touchdowns – one more than he had thrown in the Rams’ first six games. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Kupp and Nacua returned after having played only 24 snaps together this year. They combined for 12 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets. They’re also excellent run blockers. Nacua’s block on Josh Metellus got Kyren Williams a first down on fourth-and-1 to extend a touchdown drive late.

The Vikings stayed within one-score striking distance because they might have the best kicker this side of Justin Tucker. Only two teams – Vikings and Titans – haven’t missed a place kick. Tennessee has Nick Folk, a 17-year veteran who turns 40 on Nov. 5. He has made 11 of 11 field goals, including 3 of 3 from 50-plus, and 9 of 9 PATs. The Vikings have 23-year-old rookie Will Reichard, who is 14 of 14 on field goals, including 4 of 4 from 50-plus, and 20 of 20 on PATs after another completely unruffled outing.

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