Can Minnesota Stifle the Return of Cooper Kupp?
The Minnesota Vikings travel to Los Angeles this week for a Thursday night matchup against Matthew Stafford and the Rams. While these two teams don’t face off every season, there is a bit of familiarity for certain members of each franchise. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell used to be the Rams offensive coordinator under Sean McVay, so those two not only have a history working together but also have similar offensive game plans and have a good idea of how to combat each other as a result. Minnesota safety Harrison Smith and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford are also very familiar with one another as they have faced each other 18 times throughout their respective careers. As a result, those two have watched countless hours of film on each other and know the other’s game inside and out. These are some of the many reasons that make this matchup so interesting.
Another thing that makes this Thursday night game so interesting is that we will finally see the return of Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp after he has missed their previous four games. Stafford and McVay will surely be ecstatic to have him back on the field as he is a huge weapon for that offense. As far as other injury updates go, the Rams have opened the practice window for Puka Nacua and haven’t ruled out him playing on Thursday. The Minnesota Vikings could see both T.J. Hockenson and Dalton Risner as they are both questionable for the game. Those two returning would only make this offense even more versatile. Vikings running back Aaron Jones got a full practice on Wednesday and will be good to go for game time.
Even with the return of Kupp, I expect this to be a somewhat one-sided matchup. I think Minnesota has the upper hand both on offense and defense. I expect Justin Jefferson to find a ton of success against the Los Angeles secondary, and I expect him to find it early on in this game. The Minnesota defense has fallen off a bit during their last two games, especially during their loss in Week Seven. However, I think that they will return to form against a beat-up Rams offensive line, and Stafford will have little to no time to throw the ball as a result. I think that the Vikings will win comfortably 27-13 and are able to head back to Minnesota with a 6-1 record, while the Rams will have to turn things around quickly after falling to 2-5.
