The Los Angeles Rams seem like their previous selves once more.
They kicked off Week 8 of the NFL season with a 30-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night time Soccer. Vast receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua returned from accidents for the Rams, who received their second recreation in 5 days to enhance to 3-4.
The Vikings, after a 5-0 begin to the season, misplaced their second straight recreation to fall to 5-2.
Listed here are a number of the winners and losers from Thursday’s matchup:
Winner: Matthew Stafford
The highest winner is the quarterback who obtained his high two targets again.
The Rams’ offense has struggled this season with out Kupp and Nacua. In final week’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Matthew Stafford threw for simply 154 yards, the fewest in his 4 years with the Rams. He entered Thursday’s recreation with simply three landing passes this season.
He surpassed that whole towards the Vikings. Stafford threw 4 touchdowns, finishing 25 of 34 passes for 279 yards with one interception within the win.
Stafford (4,990) additionally handed Dan Marino (4,967) for ninth-most completions in NFL historical past.
Compensate for the highest video games to look at in Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season.
Loser: Kevin O’Connell
Kevin O’Connell is not any stranger to watching Stafford and the Rams’ offense have success.
Earlier than changing into head coach of the Vikings, O’Connell was the Rams’ offensive coordinator underneath Sean McVay, serving to the crew win a Tremendous Bowl in 2022. Sadly, his former crew returned to type towards his present crew, posting a season-high 30 factors.
O’Connell’s Vikings, after successful the primary 5 video games of the season, have now misplaced two straight.
Winner: Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp
Each of the Rams receivers are again…for now?
Nacua returned after lacking 5 video games with a sprained ligament in his knee that he suffered throughout a season-opening loss. An NFL Offensive Rookie of the 12 months finalist final season after setting rookie data with 105 catches for 1,486 yards, Nacua had seven catches for 106 yards.
Kupp additionally returned after a four-game absence on account of an ankle harm. The previous Tremendous Bowl MVP had 5 catches for 51 yards and a landing. That efficiency got here amid his title surfacing this week in commerce rumors, which might be silenced following the Rams’ spectacular victory over the Vikings.
Maria Taylor, Devin McCourty and Jason Garrett of Soccer Night time in America break down the Week 8 Sunday Night time Soccer matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.
Loser: Sam Darnold
It wasn’t a really memorable homecoming for Sam Darnold.
The Vikings quarterback has roots in Southern California, having starred at San Clemente Excessive College in southern Orange County and once more at USC.
Taking part in in simply his second recreation as knowledgeable in Southern California, Darnold was unable to steer his crew to victory. He was sacked in the long run zone, whereas the sufferer of a non-called facemask penalty, for a game-sealing security. He accomplished 18 of 25 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
He is now 1-1 in SoCal in his professional profession, together with his first recreation within the space 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 recreation having been held underneath 100 receiving yards in 4 straight video games, the longest stretch of his profession.
“I’m undoubtedly sick of getting these 80, 90-yard video games,” he instructed reporters throughout the week. “I undoubtedly must recover from that hump of 100 yards. That’s undoubtedly my plan.”
Mission achieved. Jefferson, who even with out the 100-yard video games nonetheless entered the night time fourth in receiving yards, had a season-high eight catches for 115 yards — his second triple-digit efficiency since recording 133 yards in Week 2. With that, Jefferson set an NFL report for probably the most 100-yard video games in a receiver’s first 5 NFL seasons (31), passing Randy Moss.
Compensate for the newest accidents across the league heading into Week 8.