Vikings studs and duds from Thursday's loss vs. Rams highlighted by offensive stars

The Minnesota Vikings started off the game hot with touchdown drives on their first two drives but ended up faltering on the road against the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 30-20. There were a lot of issues for the Vikings in this game but the biggest one was the blatant talent voids the […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) catches a pass against Minnesota Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2) in the second half at SoFi Stadium.
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The Minnesota Vikings started off the game hot with touchdown drives on their first two drives but ended up faltering on the road against the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 30-20.

There were a lot of issues for the Vikings in this game but the biggest one was the blatant talent voids the Vikings still have on the defensive side of the football.

The game didn't go the Vikings' way, but not all of the performances were the same. Here are Thursday's studs and duds.

Stud: WR Justin Jefferson

I don't think there is much more we can say about how good Jefferson is. Just look at this catch from the third quarter. It was so good that the Vikings own Twitter/X accounts said that Madden should just make him a 100.

The Vikings did a great job getting Jefferson involved early and often.

Dud: Third down penalties

The defense did a really good job in forcing the Rams into third down situations. The defense forced the Rams into six third downs but they sabotaged themselves on three of them.

  • Byron Murphy Jr. got called for a holding penalty on the first one. Was it ticky-tack? Sure, but the jersey was in his hand and you can't do that.
  • The second one was Stephon Gilmore with a pass interference on Cooper Kupp. The ball wasn't very accurate and Gilmore ran right into Kupp and didn't have his head turned. Easy call for the officials.
  • The third was an illegal hands to the face on Jihad Ward. He was driving the offensive lineman back and the hand drifted up too much and got into the facemask.

All three might have been frustrating to have called, but none of them were bad calls. The Vikings need to do a better job executing on defense and not making bad calls.

Stud: OLB Jonathan Greenard

The Vikings pass rush didn't put a lot of pressure on Matthew Stafford on Thursday night, but you can see the workings of a great player. Greenard has done a great job this season in getting pressure on the quarterback and his process was excellent in beating the defender in front of him.

He was using spin moves, speed, power, etc. You name it, Greenard was making it work. And when he wasn't getting to the quarterback, he got his hands up to make an impact. There is a case to be made that he should be Defensive Player of the Year.

Dud: Vikings pass rush

Now that I've given Greenard his flowers, it's time to talk about how poor the defensive line is. 

Over the first few weeks, the Vikings were able to do things to mask their biggest weakness. One of the things they did was institute a four edge rusher package to attach the quarterback. Now that we are seven games in, it's being majorly exposed.

The interior of the defensive line has been brutal in getting push in the passing game. It's especially concerning when you consider the Rams have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL with the injuries it's sustained. They need to address it in a major way with someone like Jeffery Simmons or Dexter Lawrence.

Stud: RB Aaron Jones

The Vikings have leaned heavily on Jones this season and he's delivered in a big way. Take a look at the catch Jones made on a wheel route.

The Vikings have leaned heavily on Jones this season when he's been healthy and it's worked. Jones was more impactful in the passing game with two catches for 27 yards but still ran for 58 yards on the ground. His presence has been a really impactful aspect of the Vikings' offense and will continue to be moving forward.

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