6 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss to the Rams in Week 16
By Adam Carlson
The Vikings defensive line was ineffective
One of the best traditions in recent Minnesota Vikings history was watching the defense attack Matthew Stafford and get multiple hits and sacks on the quarterback in order to take the quarterback out of his rhythm.
Stafford did throw interceptions on Sunday. However, that wasn’t because of hits the Vikings were putting on him. In fact, Minnesota ended the game with zero sacks and five quarterback hits, which isn’t what you expect from a team that leads the league in sacks.
The disappointing pass rush was one thing, but the inability of the defensive line to stop the run was the most frustrating part of the day. Los Angeles piled up 159 yards on the ground with Sony Michel gaining 131 yards from scrimmage on 27 carries.
We have talked about this multiple times, but with how much Minnesota has invested in the interior of the defensive line and the loss of Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen really hurts. Tomlinson and Pierce combined for six tackles on the day with none of them being for a loss.