The Rams defeat the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 and advance to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round

On By Littum

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Buoyed by a near-record performance from their pass rush and an outstanding game from quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams blanked the Vikings 27-9 in Monday night’s Wild Card playoff game at State Farm Stadium.

With the win, the Rams advance to the divisional round to take on the Eagles in Philadelphia next Sunday at noon Pacific time (NBC/Peacock).

Defensive end Kobie Turner’s two sacks paced a pass rush that sacked Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold nine times, tying an NFL playoff record. Six came in the first half, which marked the most in the first half of a playoff game since 1988. It was more than double Los Angeles’ total from its Week 8 win over Minnesota. The Vikings lost a combined 82 yards on those sacks.

Outside linebacker Jared Verse had a crucial 57-yard fumble return for a touchdown for the first touchdown of his career.

Stafford opened the game and completed his first 10 pass attempts, racking up 113 yards and a passing touchdown in the process. He finished 19 of 27 for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win.

Tight end Tyler Higbee left the game in the first half with a chest injury; he was initially ruled questionable to return before being downgraded to out in the third quarter. Before suffering the injury, Higbee was the Rams’ leading receiver in the game with 5 catches for 58 yards. Additionally, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon left the game with a thigh injury following quarterback Sam Darnold’s 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end TJ Hockenson and was ruled questionable to return.

Here’s the complete recap of the game, presented by Toyota:

The Rams scored on the game’s first drive, with Stafford finding Williams for a 5-yard touchdown pass to take an early 7-0 lead. Stafford was 6 for 6 for 64 yards in addition to the touchdown pass in that series, with a 27-yard completion to Puka Nacua on the game’s first play and later a 23-yard completion to tight end Tyler Higbee.