Week 11 Ups and Downs: Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams

What were the good, bad, and interesting things from the Minnesota Vikings Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Rams from U.S. Bank Stadium?

The Minnesota Vikings entered Week 11 seemingly on a roll. Winners of 5 straight contests, the Vikings are sat on top of the NFC North and looked to tighten their grip at home against a tough opponent.

The team they faced during that game was the Los Angeles Rams. Another team that was 7-2 entering the week, the Rams are winning games with strong defense and explosive and efficient plays on offense.

The game was hard-fought, but there needed to be a winner. The Vikings ended up victorious in a game that was a lot closer than many fans hoped it would be, winning the game 24-7 in front of their home fans.

Let’s talk about the good, bad, and interesting things from the Minnesota Vikings Week 11 game against the Rams starting with the good things!

The good stuff vs Rams in Week 11

1. C.J. Ham embracing being a fullback. Initially a halfback, Ham made the move to fullback and fans questioned whether or not the team would even use one this year. However, Ham has proven to be extremely valuable in both the run and blocking game.
2. Danielle Hunter’s motor. With Brian Robison active due to his back injury, Hunter found himself with a bigger role this week since the veteran wouldn’t be in the rotation. He took advantage of the situation, getting multiple pressures and even sacking Goff in the game.
3. Kyle Rudolph has come to play. A big-time catch in the second quarter and first down snag in the first were some highlights of his game this week, but sometimes a lot can be said for a player who gets better in extremely challenging games.
4. Anthony Harris’ big play. Harris made up for giving up a reception and nearly a touchdown by stripping the ball out of Cooper Kupp’s hands at the one-yard line. Not only that but was aware enough to grab the loose ball to take the ball away from the Rams.
5. Bower’s first NFL sack! Tashawn Bower has been inactive most of the season, but he finally found the field late in the game as the Rams tried to move the ball in what is essentially garbage time. Bower’s impressive preseason put him on the map, but this sack i the limited playing time says even more about his potential.

The bad things vs Rams in Week 11

1. Silly penalties. Illegal substitution, Illegal man downfield, facemasks and more kept the Vikings moving backward instead of forward. Last week, they were great at keeping away from mental mistakes…but that’s not the case this week.
2. Pass protection in general. Even though Keenum stayed upright through the game, there was a ton of pressure coming at him the entire game. This was expected this week, and Minnesota responded by rolling Keenum out to buy time and show off his mobility. While it might be unrealistic to expect a clean pocket, better protection to prevent stressed throws would have been nice.
3. Inability to get the run game going consistently. Neither Jerick McKinnon nor Latavius Murray was able to run the ball regularly against a Rams defense that had given up a lot of yardage on the ground in the past. This forced Minnesota to go to the passing game more often and make them more one-dimensional.
4. Two missed field goals. Kai Forbath is usually excellent on field goals, but two big misses looked like they would come back to haunt the Vikings during this game. Even though he was able to connect with his final field goal try, it was rough earlier on.
5. – not available – I usually do 5 of each, but there really weren’t enough bad things that I have already been nitpicking when it comes to the bad things. This was an excellent effort and I don’t feel like being more negative.

The interesting stuff vs Rams in Week 11

1. Greg Olsen in the booth. Honestly, he probably shouldn’t have been there. With the Vikings facing off against the Panthers in Week 14, it seems like this isn’t a good thing for FOX to ask of a player and organization. Plus it sets a bad precedent for future situations.
2. Bad challenge. The Vikings challenged that Hekker stepped out of bounds before punting the ball away, but could have taken more opportunities to check out the play before throwing the flag to make sure it was the right call. Instead, Zimmer threw it right away.
3. FOX telling a familiar story. So, Robert Woods is playing his pro football where he grew up and played his college football? That story sounds familiar. If only there were a Vikings wide receiver who wears yellow gloves with a similar story…
4. Roughing the passer. Anthony Barr could have impressed Bill Goldberg or maybe Edge with that WWE style spear. It’s not going to impress refs though, and he’ll get a flag for that play every single time he lowers his helmet on a hit like that.
5. Keesum? Kees? Keys? If you were drinking every time that an announcer said Case Keenum’s name wrong, you were likely stumbling around your house, bar, or stadium in a drunken stupor. It’s really not that hard, guys…

Overall impression vs Rams in Week 11

All week, I have been saying that Week 11 was going to be a massive test for the Minnesota Vikings, who had never really faced off against a squad with such an excellent offense and capable defense.

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It’s impressive that Minnesota was able to take command of the game the way they did. Defensively, the team was without starting safety Andrew Sendejo and rotational defensive end Brian Robison. On offense, they were missing their starting right tackle.

Despite all that, the team was able to show their depth and heart in this win. They played hard, especially in the trenches where they were able to get consistent pressure on Jared Goff and penetrate the Rams run game.

Needless to say, Adam Thielen is an absolute monster and the Vikings defensive line is unquestionably for real. When this team gets going, it is hard to see any opponent stopping them, especially at home in front of that rowdy U.S. Bank Stadium crowd.

Next: Our Week 11 bold predictions

The Minnesota Vikings move to 8-2 on the season and will face a familiar foe in Week 12 when they hit the road on Thanksgiving to play the Detroit Lions. I’ll be back with another Ups and Downs, and I hope to have you back as well.