St. Louis Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings: What's the Game Plan for St. Louis?

The St. Louis Rams (4-3) will take on the Minnesota Vikings (5-2) for a critical NFC matchup with possible playoff implications. The Rams will need to execute a flawless game plan to survive a Vikings team that has won five of its last six games. 

If the season were to end today, the Vikings would take the NFC's sixth and final seed, and the Rams would fall just short as the conference's seventh-best team. This game is an opportunity for St. Louis to gain the upper hand in the playoff race. 

If the Rams and Vikings finish with identical records, this game's outcome will be the tiebreaker. That's a nice safety net to have moving forward, especially if St. Louis fails to best the Arizona Cardinals and win the NFC West. 

The stakes are high for this game. Other than the rematches against Seattle and Arizona, this is likely the most important game left on St. Louis' schedule.

Besting the Vikings will take an extraordinary effort. Here's what to look for:

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

Offensive Game Plan

Much like the Rams, the Vikings are a tough team defensively and give up very little. Denver's 23-point performance against Minnesota in Week 4 is the most points the Vikings have surrendered in a game this season. 

Four of Minnesota's seven opponents this season have been held under 20 points. On top of that, the Vikings rank seventh in overall defense (334 yards per game) and have allowed the second-fewest points per game on average (17.4).  

At first glance, it appears to be a poor matchup for a Rams team that has struggled to produce points. However, the Minnesota defense does have a weakness. 

The Vikings rank a modest 15th in the NFL in run defense. On top of that, they have yet to face a team that's competent when it comes to running the football. 

Minnesota played two games against a Detroit Lions team that ranks dead-last in rushing offense (69.9 yards per game). The Vikings also played a San Diego team that ranks 29th (86.4), a Denver team that ranks 26th (95.7) and a San Francisco team that ranks 18th (101.1).  

Out of all the teams Minnesota has faced, none rank in the top 10 in rushing. Only two—Chicago (16th) and Kansas City (14th)—rank in the league's top half. Even when the Vikings faced the Chiefs, Jamaal Charles—Kansas City's star running back—did not play. 

Meanwhile, the Rams rank third in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging 132 yards per game. Thanks to the meteoric rise of star rookie Todd Gurley, along with an offensive line that has improved each week, the St. Louis ground game has been virtually unstoppable. 

With that said, it's pretty obvious what St. Louis' game plan will be on offense. The Rams will run Gurley and Tavon Austin until Minnesota proves it can stop them. 

As for Nick Foles and the passing game, their job is to simply supplement the ground game. The Vikings rank ninth in pass defense (229.3 yards per game) and don't allow much through the air. The Rams will take just enough shots to keep the Minnesota defense honest, but that's about it. 

If Foles can take the pressure off Gurley by completing a few key passes, it should be another big day for No. 30. 

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Defensive Game Plan  

As always, the key to shutting down the Minnesota offense is by containing Adrian Peterson and not allowing No. 28 to make any big plays. 

Despite how solid St. Louis has been on run defense, stopping Peterson is never an easy task. However, unlike the Vikings, the Rams have faced multiple teams this year capable of running the football and have had success shutting them down. 

The Rams have already faced three teams that rank in the top 10 in rushing—Seattle (second), Pittsburgh (ninth), Arizona (10th)—and none of those teams were able to produce a 100-yard rusher against St. Louis. 

Minnesota will be the fourth top-10 rushing team St. Louis has faced in 2015, as the Vikings currently rank fifth with 131 rushing yards per game on average. Once again, the St. Louis defense must prove it's elite by stopping a good team from doing what it's built to do. 

If the Rams can keep Peterson in check, everything else will come together. 

The Vikings will be forced to put the offense on Teddy Bridgewater's shoulders. When that happens, St. Louis can unleash it's lethal pass rush—a unit that currently ranks second in the NFL with 26 sacks. 

If the Vikings have to depend on Bridgewater to save the offense with his arm, the chances of a Rams victory are very high. 

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Key Matchups

Adrian Peterson vs. Mark Barron

Last season, the Rams traded a fourth-round and a sixth-round selection for safety Mark Barron. So far, the former top-10 pick has been a complete steal. 

Barron has been operating in a safety-linebacker hybrid role and has excelled. He has filled in for the injured Alec Ogletree, and the Rams have not missed a beat. Barron is second on the team with 49 tackles—despite starting just three games—and is currently ranked as the NFL's fifth-best outside linebacker by Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of 6.2.

Barron is a weapon both as a pass-rusher and in run support. His primary duty in this game will be tracking down Peterson and meeting him at the line of scrimmage. 

Watching a great running back like Peterson face off with a hard-hitting playmaker will be fun to watch. 

Michael Harris and Joe Berger vs. Aaron Donald 

Joe Berger ranks as the NFL's sixth-best center by Pro Football Focus. Michael Harris—a fourth-year journeyman in his first year as a full-time starter—has also been solid with a 4.7 grade, which ranks 25th among 78 guards. 

It's not actually possible to stop Aaron Donald, but the Vikings are hoping Berger and Harris can at least minimize the damage. 

For St. Louis, Donald must have a big game in order to stop Peterson. If the Minnesota offensive line can slow him down, the Rams will be in trouble. 

This will be one of the game's most vital matchups. 

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.