Thursday Night Football: Los Angeles Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings

A pair of 2017 NFC playoff teams meet up on Thursday Night Football this week. The Minnesota Vikings will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in week four of the NFL season. The Vikings come in with a 1-1-1 record, while the Rams are 3-0 on the young season.

The Minnesota Vikings come into this game after an embarrassing 27-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills in week three. The Vikings now trail the Chicago Bears in the NFC North division. The Los Angeles Rams have cruised to a 3-0 record this season and beat the Los Angeles Chargers 35-23 in week three.

Vikings Defense Struggling

The Minnesota Vikings have struggled on defense this season, and it’s led to their mediocre record. The Vikings have given up an average of 24 points per game this season, after allowing half of that last season. Minnesota will be without defensive end Everson Griffen in this game as he is dealing with legal and mental health issues. The Vikings must find a way to slow down the Rams in this game.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been solid for the Vikings during his first year in Minnesota. Cousins has thrown for 965 yards and seven touchdowns this season but has struggled to throw the ball downfield. The Vikings are hopeful that running back Dalvin Cook will be able to return to this game after missing their week three loss to the Buffalo Bills. Minnesota ran the ball just six times in that game, and they must find more balance against the Rams.

Goff, Gurley Leading Rams

Quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley continue to lead the explosive Rams offense. Goff has thrown for 941 yards and six touchdowns this season while completing over 70 percent of his passes. Gurley is averaging over four yards per carry and has found the end zone four times already this season. Los Angeles can put up points in a hurry, and they will look to stay hot against the Vikings.

Despite being 3-0 the Los Angeles Rams defense needs to find a way to get more pressure on the quarterback. The Rams have recorded just four sacks this season despite making several upgrades to their defense in the offseason. Los Angeles is expected to be without their two starting cornerbacks, Aqib Talib, and Marcus Peters, for this game. Eventually, the lack of quarterback pressure will cost the Rams a game.

Los Angeles Blows Out Vikings

The Vikings appear to have a ton of issues at the moment, most notably on the defensive side of the ball. Minnesota failed to contain Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in week three, and they never gave their offense a chance. The Vikings will need to establish a running game early against the Rams.

The Rams have a ton of weapons on offense, with someone new stepping up each game. Los Angeles looks like the team to beat in the NFC and they will prove it again on Thursday night. The Vikings are decent, but the Rams are great and will blow them out in week four. Bet the Los Angeles Rams -6.5 over the Vikings in this game.