Adam Thielen, Latavius Murray Lead Vikings to Decisive 24-7 Win over Rams

With a rash of injuries across their offense, it would have been hard to blame the Minnesota Vikings for packing up their things and calling it a season.

Instead, they just keep getting the job done.

Latavius Murray rushed for two touchdowns, Case Keenum continued providing a steady hand through the air and, the Vikings defense was once again stellar on their way to a 24-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

The Vikings have reeled off six straight victories to take a commanding lead in the NFC North. They are two games ahead of the Detroit Lions and three clear of the Green Bay Packers.

Down to their third-string quarterback and a pair of backup running backs, the Vikings have not shown any signs of slowing down. Keenum turned in his third straight stellar start, throwing for 280 yards and a touchdown on 27-of-38 passing. 

While the performance was filled with a lot of intermediate checkdowns, Keenum and Adam Thielen connected six times for a game-high 123 yards. Thielen hauled in a 65-yard touchdown as part of a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter that gave the Vikings the win.

Kyle Rudolph (five catches, 58 yards), Stefon Diggs (four catches, 32 yards) and Jerick McKinnon (five catches, 12 yards) were also regularly featured in the passing game.

Murray scored a rushing touchdown for the third time in four games and gained 95 yards on his 15 carries, his second-highest total of the season. McKinnon gained 48 yards on his 14 attempts while also being prominently featured in the passing game.

The most notable story of the contest may have been the Vikings defense, which shut out the Rams' high-powered offense after allowing a touchdown on the game's opening drive. Los Angeles turned the ball over just once but punted six times, most coming after drives that made minimal downfield headway.

Jared Goff threw for 225 yards and failed to throw a touchdown pass for just the second time all season. The second-year quarterback entered Sunday playing the best football of his career, throwing for 666 yards and seven touchdowns over the previous two weeks. 

Gurley was held completely in check following the opening drive and finished with a season-low 37 yards. He hasn't hit the 100-yard mark since Oct. 22 and has been below 70 yards on the ground in each of his last three contests, though much of his reduced production was because of stellar work from Goff and the passing game.

The Rams (7-3) remain alone in first place in the NFC West, pending the result of the Seattle Seahawks' matchup with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday. They host the New Orleans Saints next weekend.

The Vikings (8-2) travel to Detroit to play the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.