Rams return to form in win vs. Vikings on Thursday Night Football – NBC Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Rams look like their old selves again.

They kicked off Week 8 of the NFL season with a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. Wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua returned from injuries for the Rams, who won their second game in five days to improve to 3-4.

The Vikings, after a 5-0 start to the season, lost their second straight game to fall to 5-2.

Here are some of the winners and losers from Thursday’s matchup:

Winner: Matthew Stafford

The top winner is the quarterback who got his top two targets back.

The Rams’ offense has struggled this season without Kupp and Nacua. In last week’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Matthew Stafford threw for just 154 yards, the fewest in his four years with the Rams. He entered Thursday’s game with just three touchdown passes this season.

He surpassed that total against the Vikings. Stafford threw four touchdowns, completing 25 of 34 passes for 279 yards with one interception in the win. 

Stafford (4,990) also passed Dan Marino (4,967) for ninth-most completions in NFL history.

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Loser: Kevin O’Connell

Kevin O’Connell is no stranger to watching Stafford and the Rams’ offense have success.

Before becoming head coach of the Vikings, O’Connell was the Rams’ offensive coordinator under Sean McVay, helping the team win a Super Bowl in 2022. Unfortunately, his former team returned to form against his current team, posting a season-high 30 points.

O’Connell’s Vikings, after winning the first five games of the season, have now lost two straight.  

Winner: Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp

Both of the Rams receivers are back…for now?

Nacua returned after missing five games with a sprained ligament in his knee that he suffered during a season-opening loss. An NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist last season after setting rookie records with 105 catches for 1,486 yards, Nacua had seven catches for 106 yards.

Kupp also returned after a four-game absence due to an ankle injury. The former Super Bowl MVP had five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. That performance came amid his name surfacing this week in trade rumors, which could be silenced following the Rams’ impressive victory over the Vikings.

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Loser: Sam Darnold

It wasn’t a very memorable homecoming for Sam Darnold.

The Vikings quarterback has roots in Southern California, having starred at San Clemente High School in southern Orange County and again at USC.

Playing in just his second game as a professional in Southern California, Darnold was unable to lead his team to victory. He was sacked in the end zone, while the victim of a non-called facemask penalty, for a game-sealing safety. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns.

He’s now 1-1 in SoCal in his pro career, with his first game in the area coming in 2020, when he led the winless New York Jets to an upset victory over the Rams.  

Winner: Justin Jefferson

Justin Jefferson has returned to triple digits.

The Vikings star wideout entered Thursday’s game having been held under 100 receiving yards in four straight games, the longest stretch of his career.

“I’m definitely sick of having these 80, 90-yard games,” he told reporters during the week. “I definitely have to get over that hump of 100 yards. That’s definitely my plan.”

Mission accomplished. Jefferson, who even without the 100-yard games still entered the night fourth in receiving yards, had a season-high eight catches for 115 yards — his second triple-digit performance since recording 133 yards in Week 2. With that, Jefferson set an NFL record for the most 100-yard games in a receiver’s first five NFL seasons (31), passing Randy Moss.

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