St. Louis Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings: Full St. Louis Game Preview
The St. Louis Rams (4-3) will take on the Minnesota Vikings (5-2) in an exciting NFC showdown. Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot down the road, so this matchup will be crucial.
If the playoffs began today, the Vikings would own the sixth and final seed in the NFC, but the Rams are just a game behind. If St. Louis and Minnesota ultimately finish the season with identical records, the outcome of this upcoming game will be the tiebreaker. This contest could very well determine which team sees the postseason and which team stays home.
At first glance, the Rams seem to be at a disadvantage. St. Louis will be on the road in a tough Minnesota environment. Not to mention, the Rams have won just one road game this year.
Then again, the Vikings' current record may be a mirage due to their soft schedule.
The six different Minnesota opponents so far—San Francisco, Detroit, San Diego, Denver, Kansas City, Chicago—have a combined 17-29 record (.370). None of the Vikings' victories this season have been against a team that currently holds a .500 or better record.
Meanwhile, St. Louis' opponents—Seattle, Washington, Pittsburgh, Arizona, Green Bay, Cleveland, San Francisco—own a 27-27 combined record (.500). Two of St. Louis' four wins have come against teams with a .500 or better record—Seattle (4-4) and Arizona (6-2).
The Rams may lack the home-field advantage this week, but they're certainly the more battle-tested football team.
Whatever the outcome, it should be an excellent game—a game that deserves far more attention than it's getting.
This article will preview the upcoming contest, including an injury report, analysis, the latest headlines and more.
News and Notes
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Todd Gurley Already Making His Mark in Canton
The historic start to Todd Gurley's career is already getting attention from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Gurley's game-worn cleats and jersey from Sunday's win over San Francisco are now on display at the Hall of Fame. The new display is the result of Gurley's record-breaking performance over his first four starts.
As Thomas reported, Gurley is the first NFL rookie to rush for over 125 yards in each of his first four starts. His 566 rushing yards in his four initial starts is the most for an NFL rookie since the 1970 merger.
Gurley is currently averaging 141.5 rushing yards per start. With nine games remaining, that puts him on pace for over 1,800 yards this season. It's doubtful he'll maintain such a high average, but he should exceed 1,000 yards with ease, and he could compete for the 2015 rushing title.
Gurley currently ranks fifth in the NFL with 575 rushing yards. He's just 134 yards shy of the No. 1 spot, which is quite impressive considering he had just six total carries in the first three weeks.
As long as Gurley remains healthy, he'll continue to serve as St. Louis' savior on offense.
Rams Suspend RB Trey Watts
Running back Trey Watts did not start the season on the active roster. He missed the first four weeks of 2015 due to a suspension. He violated the league's substance-abuse policy, per NFL.com.
It appears that Watts' mishap was hardly a foolish, one-time incident. According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, Watts has been suspended indefinitely by the Rams for once again breaking the league's substance-abuse policy.
Head coach Jeff Fisher commented on the situation, per Wagoner:
"It's really unfortunate for Trey. We have a program, and the players have to comply with the program. Trey had an issue that cost him the first four games of the regular season, and then when Trey came back, Trey was good. The setback was something that took place before he was suspended. So it ends up being another positive, and the league requires him to sit. So unfortunately we'll lose him for the remainder of the season.
"
Watts had just 10 touches in 2014 and has yet to touch the ball this season, so it's not a major loss. The Rams still have Benny Cunningham and Tre Mason to provide depth behind Gurley.
Still, Watts has flashed potential during the last two preseasons, so it's possible he could have offered value at some point down the road.
Now, his career is up in the air.
Latest Injury News
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Here is the latest injury report, according to NFL.com. Check the NFL website closer to kickoff for a more up-to-date listing.
St. Louis Rams Injury Report
T Robert Havenstein (Did Not Participate in Practice)
DE William Hayes (Did Not Participate in Practice)
DE Chris Long (Did Not Participate in Practice)
DE Robert Quinn (Did Not Participate in Practice)
RB Chase Reynolds (Did Not Participate in Practice)
RB Tre Mason (Limited Participation in Practice)
S T.J. McDonald (Limited Participation in Practice)
Minnesota Vikings Injury Report
LB Anthony Barr (Did Not Participate in Practice)
C Joseph Berger (Did Not Participate in Practice)
WR Stefon Diggs (Did Not Participate in Practice)
DT Sharrif Floyd (Did Not Participate in Practice)
LB Eric Kendricks (Did Not Participate in Practice)
T Trevor Clemmings (Full Participation in Practice)
TE Rhett Ellison (Full Participation in Practice)
LB Audie Cole (Limited Participation in Practice)
DE Everson Griffen (Limited Participation in Practice)
DT Tom Johnson (Limited Participation in Practice)
DE Justin Trattou (Limited Participation in Practice)
Notes
There are no major surprises for the Rams on this week's injury report.
William Hayes, Robert Quinn, T.J. McDonald, Tre Mason and Chase Reynolds were all listed on last week's report, yet all five players still played. It would be a bit of a shock if any of these five players are not ready for Sunday.
Chris Long has missed the last two games with a knee injury, per Pro Football Talk, so his status is still in question. Hayes has been playing well at left end, so there's certainly no need to rush Long back into the lineup if he's not ready.
Rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein is a new addition to the injury report. He's currently dealing with an ankle injury and missed Wednesday's practice, per ESPN.com, but St. Louis is hoping to get him back on the field this Friday. It's still unclear if his game-day status is in jeopardy.
Top Matchups
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Greg Robinson vs. Everson Griffen
Former No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson has certainly been improving on a weekly basis, but he's still far from a finished product. His play is still a bit of a liability.
In fact, Pro Football Focus is down on Robinson. He ranks 69th out of 78 tackles with an overall grade of minus-16.9. That includes a pass-blocking grade of minus-8.8, which could be a problem this week.
Robinson will be lining up across from Minnesota defensive end Everson Griffen. Griffen leads the Vikings with 4.5 sacks and has been a pass-rushing nightmare for opponents. Robinson, who is still extremely green in pass protection, will have his hands full.
If Griffen is too much for Robinson to handle, it'll disrupt the St. Louis passing game and make the Rams completely one-dimensional. The threat of Gurley won't be as effective unless the Rams pose at least a minor threat through the air.
Robinson's matchup with Griffen will be vital in this game.
Terence Newman and Captain Munnerlyn vs. Tavon Austin
Gurley is not the only St. Louis weapon turning heads. Third-year receiver Tavon Austin has become a major key to the St. Louis offense, and he's having a breakout year.
Last week against the 49ers, Austin had 119 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Overall, Austin leads the Rams with seven total touchdowns. He's the only Rams player other than Gurley to find the end zone more than once this season.
The threat of Austin, whether it's a deep route, jet sweep, reverse or screen, opens things up for the Rams offense. Defenses have to respect Austin, which prevents them from focusing exclusively on Gurley.
Minnesota will respond by sticking its top cornerbacks—Terence Newman and Captain Munnerlyn—on Austin.
Munnerlyn is better in coverage and will be a solid match for Austin on passing downs. Newman is the better run defender, so the Vikings will likely stick him over Austin during run situations.
If Minnesota can take Austin out of the game, the Rams offense will struggle to get going.
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Matchup X-Factors
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Can the St. Louis Offensive Line Stand Tall?
The Vikings rank 15th in run defense (104.7 yards per game), while Eric Kendricks and Griffen have combined for 8.5 sacks this season.
Minnesota plays tough run defense and has two capable pass-rushers who are able to get after the quarterback. The St. Louis offensive line will have to stand tall and play one of its best games of the year.
The Vikings do not have St. Louis' gaudy sack totals or a top-10 run defense, but Minnesota has allowed the second-fewest points so far this season. It knows how to shut an offense down.
Even with the presence of Gurley, the Rams have struggled to produce points on offense. The Rams currently rank 28th in scoring with just 19.3 points per game. That doesn't bode well against a Vikings defense that has been reluctant to give up points.
It all starts with the offensive line.
If the run lanes are there, Gurley will eventually break free for a much-needed touchdown. If the pass-rushers are kept at bay, Nick Foles will have time to find Austin for a big play.
If the blocking fails, the Rams won't earn the necessary points to win this game.
Will St. Louis' Stout Run Defense Handle Adrian Peterson?
Last week, the Rams held the San Francisco backs to 10 yards on 15 carries for an average of 0.6 yards per carry. At that rate, the 49ers running backs would have had to carry the ball 166 times to hit 100 yards.
The previous week, St. Louis held the Cleveland running backs to 61 yards on 20 carries. The Rams have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in five straight games.
However, Adrian Peterson seems to be in good form once again. He's currently third in the NFL with 633 rushing yards and has exceeded 100 yards in three games this season.
Between Peterson's brilliance and St. Louis' tenacity in run defense, it's hard to tell who will come out ahead.
Peterson's three biggest games this year have all been against opponents who rank in the bottom six in run defense—San Diego (27th), Chicago (29th) and Detroit (31st).
It's hard to imagine the Rams rolling over like one of those teams. Still, the St. Louis defense must make stopping Peterson a top priority. If Peterson finds a way to break free and consistently put Minnesota in scoring position, the St. Louis offense will not be able to keep up.
Prediction: Rams 13, Vikings 9
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The Rams will be in enemy territory, and that'll be a difficult burden to overcome. The Vikings are 3-0 on their own turf.
Having said that, Minnesota's home victories have come against three underwhelming opponents in the Lions (1-7), Chargers (2-6) and Chiefs (3-5). The Vikings have yet to host a team as talented as the Rams.
St. Louis is red-hot at the moment with a 3-1 record over the last four games, including a key road win over the 6-2 Cardinals. The one loss in that stretch came against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Rams still held the Packers to just 24 points—their second-lowest point total of the season.
Not to mention, the St. Louis defense has not allowed a single touchdown in either of the last two games. The Rams have allowed just one total touchdown in their last three wins and have held three teams out of the end zone this season.
If the Vikings are depending on Peterson to work his magic and carry the team to victory, they may want to rethink that position. The Rams currently rank ninth in the NFL in run defense (98.1 yards per game), and St. Louis has allowed just one 100-yard rusher this season—a fluke performance by Washington's Matt Jones in Week 2.
It's a tough road game for the Rams, and victory is far from guaranteed, but the Rams are just a game behind Minnesota despite facing a far more grueling schedule. That says a lot about what St. Louis is made of.
If the same Rams team we've watched over the past month shows up in Minnesota, it'll be able to handle the Vikings.
Steven Gerwel is the longest-tenured Rams Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and serves as the Rams' 2015 game-day correspondent. You can find more of Gerwel's work by visiting his writer profile or by following him on Twitter.
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