NFC Game Of The Week
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams
Vikings: After tying their game in Green Bay back in week two, the Minnesota Vikings looked absolutely terrible in week three of the Buffalo Bills who are considered to be the worst team in football. My initial takeaway was they took the Bills way too lightly and overlooked them and look what happened, They were punched in the mouth, they struggled to keep Cousins protected, they couldn’t get off the field and their defense had such a hard time trying to limit rookie quarterback, Josh Allen. Sunday was just a crazy day of upsets and this was by far the biggest of the bunch. The one thing people need to stop doing is writing a team off after one bad game. We all have them and you’d rather them struggle now then later when it matters, right? Let’s look at the numbers from Sunday. They threw the ball a total of 55 times and ran it only six. Balance is key in football, no matter what level you play at. The only good thing that came away from this was being able to hold the Bills scoreless for the final 36 minutes of the game. After a brutal loss, they come in on a short week ready to take on the Rams tonight.
Rams: After three weeks, this is the best team I’ve seen in the NFL by far. They have the best running back in the league (since the guy who’s held that title is at home attempting to make rap albums), Jared Goff continues to take strides forward as a quarterback under Sean McVay, they finally have a true number one receiver in Brandin Cooks and defensively, they are one of the best units in the NFL under Wade Phillips and honestly, who wouldn’t want to play for Wade? He can simply bring out the best of you and turn your unit into a title contender, look what he did with the Broncos back in 2015-16, they were the best defense in the league that year. Although they won the battle of Los Angeles on Sunday against the Chargers, they suffered not one, but two big losses on Sunday when their star tandem of corners both got injured and that’s Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. When I look at this team, I don’t see any weakness whatsoever. The offensive line plays well as a unit, they can run the ball (of course), the receivers handle their business and they’re very well coached. They will look to remain unbeaten and welcome the Vikings to town tonight.
Vikings Player To Watch: Dalvin Cook– You were horrendous as a team trying to run the ball on Sunday, get back to your winning formula of playing good defense and running the ball. He will be back on the field after missing the last game with a hamstring injury. Watch the difference he makes on the field tonight.
Rams Player To Watch: Michael Brockers– He’s the one name you don’t hear and when you play with guys like Suh and Aaron Donald, you’ll be overlooked. Not only can he rush the passer, he can also stop the run and he never lets up on the play.
Final Analysis: Some are considering this a playoff preview and there are a few calling this the NFC Championship game in September. This is such an important game for the Rams more so because if they want home-field in the playoffs, these are the games you must win. This will be the best defense that either team has seen this year. I think everyone is anxious to see how the Vikings bounce back and this is the start of a tough two-game stretch for them. The Rams tonight and the Eagles next week.
Prediction: Vikings 28 Rams 24
