joemad wrote:

long time Rams fans have a bad taste of the Ram playoff loses to the Vikings during the 70’s, but Ram fans rarely mention this Viking playoff game.

December 26, 1988

Vikings safety Joey Browner recorded two interceptions in the first quarter to set up a two touchdown lead that the Rams could never recover from. Browner also finished the game with 7 tackles, had the Vikings only sack of the day, and recovered a Rams onside kick attempt to seal the win

Browner’s first interception, on 3rd and 17 from the Vikings 32, led to a Minnesota 73-yard drive that featured Wade Wilson’s 34-yard completion to reserve receiver Jim Gustafso and was capped by running back Alfred Anderson’s 7-yard rushing touchdown. Then on the first play of the Rams next drive, Browner intercepted another pass from Jim Everett and returned it 14 yards to the Los Angeles 17-yard line, where Allen Rice took it in for a touchdown on the next play.

In the second quarter, the Rams had three chances to score, but only managed to get any points once. First, Mike Lansford missed a 41-yard field attempt (later matched by a 44-yard miss by Minnesota’s Chuck Nelson). Then they drove to a 3rd and 1 on the Vikings 30 and were stopped for no gain on consecutive running plays. But just before halftime, Everett led the team 70 yards to cut the lead in half at 14-7 with his 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Damone Johnson.

Minnesota took the second half kickoff and moved the ball all the way to the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown run by Anderson, going back up by two touchdowns at 21-7. The Rams countered with a 33-yard field goal from Lansford, but in the fourth quarter, Wilson completed a 44-yard pass to Anthony Carter on the LA 5-yard line. On the next play, he threw a touchdown pass to tight end Carl Hilton, giving the team a 28-10 lead and essentially putting the game out of reach. The Rams managed one more touchdown with 1:11 left in the game on Everett’s 11-yard throw to tight end Pete Holohan, but Browner recovered their onside kick attempt and the Vikings ran out the rest of the clock.

Wilson finished the game with 253 passing yards and a touchdown, while Carter caught 4 passes for 102 yards. Rams linebacker Kevin Greene had 3 sacks.

That loss didn’t bother me so much because the Rams had rebounded to 10-6 after going 6-9 in the previous strike-shortened season. Plus it looked like the Rams *finally* had an elite passer and a solid defense under Fritz Shurmer. The future looked bright and I was looking forward to all the playoff victories to come.

Sigh…

Sounds like most of them know as little about the Rams as we do about the Vikings.

Yeah I dunno. I’m not sure what a victory or loss tells us when you face an evenly matched team.

I think the Rams still have a decent shot at the playoffs even if they lose this game. The Vikings got to 5-2 by feasting on patsies. The meat of their schedule remains including games against the Falcons, Seahawks, Cardinals, Giants and two games against the Packers.

Agamemnon wrote:

We are better than Minn. I am not sure by how much. We need a better passing game anyway. Against Minn would be a good time demonstrate that.

I agree with you that the Rams are probably better but I also think RFL is correct when he says the Vikings can do more things on offense. I don’t think the Rams are going to be able to hold them to just FG’s so more help from the offense would be appreciated this week.

InvaderRam wrote:

their defense is ranked ahead of the rams in terms of total yardage, but i find it curious that football outsiders has their defense ranked 24th while the rams is ranked 5th.

i haven’t seen much of the vikings defense, but i’ve seen enough of the rams to believe they are better than the 13 ranked defense according to traditional stats.

but also. the vikings offense could give this defense some problems. the rams strengths on defense are in the secondary and the pass rush. so i could see them struggling against adrian peterson. the niners were absolutely depleted at running back, and that made a huge difference in holding them to 6 points.

Actually NFL.com has the Rams defense ranked 6th giving up 328.1 yds per game and Vikings ranked 7th at 334 yds per game.

InvaderRam wrote:

i think they have to. like i said on the gameday chat i prefer that it be through free agency. someone who can step in right away. obviously things will change between now and then, but there are guys like sanu and jeffery due for free agency next year. doesn’t even have to be someone of the caliber of a jeffery. just someone who is consistent.

Yeah I’d prefer a vet FA who is more ‘turn key’…ready to go/doesn’t need to master his craft.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by nittany ram.

canadaram wrote:

That jersey looks like it would be a good high visibility top for a highway worker.

Yeah, they are dangerously close to moving into the putred fluorescent realm of the Seahawks. Please tell me they’re not going to reap fashion ideas from the Seahawks.

This game actually worries me…the Rams being huge favorites at home over a reeling and decimated rival…

It reminds me of those movies where the hero is rescuing a hostage and when he arrives at the location where the hostage is being held he finds the door unlocked and no bad guys so he immediately suspects a trap….”I don’t like this. This is too easy…”

wv wrote:

And maybe some Marlboros.
w
v

My God wv, these are children!

They better be ultra lites.

Well, this season the Rams have lost to two teams they should have beaten. They lost to Washington on the road and Pittsburgh at home. Yes, the Pittsburgh game is a game they should have won. They had them at home and knocked Rothlisberger out of the game. They beat one team they should have (Browns). So this year so far they are 1-2 in games they should have won. So, what Laurinaitis says is true only if beating the Browns is the start of a trend. But that’s something nobody can know as of yet.

wv wrote:

Well….why not

Its kinda hard to totally screw up a sports movie,
and its also kinda hard to make a really good one.
Ya know. The plots are all prettymuch the same.

w
v

Are you saying “Gus” isn’t a great movie?

Agamemnon wrote:

7. San Francisco 49ers
2015 record: 2-5 (.578)
Top need: Quarterback
Other needs: Right tackle, wide receiver, defensive line

Zooey wrote:

I think this is the game at which the 49ers will look back, and think, “Why did we even bother to suit up?’

Because they so thoroughly destroy the Rams that they realize they could have won the game wearing just their street clothes and Thom McCans?

Yeah, but wouldn’t how long he holds the ball be partially out of his control? If his first read is open he can throw quickly. But if his first read fails to get separation, then he has to move through his other reads until he finds someone who is open which means he has to hold the ball longer.

So we just can’t say “Foles should just throw quicker”, because when he throws isn’t entirely up to him.

Zooey wrote:

Foles has given me nuthin’ I didn’t get from Hill.

Yeah, Foles could be better, but I think he’s noticeably better than Hill (and Clemmons and Davis). He at least can make throws down the field which Hill and the others couldn’t make. I think he’s going to improve as the year progresses. Part of the problem is, as usual, the Rams WR’s don’t scare anyone. In camp with Quick out Foles and Cook developed a rapport because Cook is all-world in practice. Problem is, in the games Cook’s not even all-township. Maybe Quick will start to get back to where he was before the injury which would give Foles another option in the passing game that defenses would have to respect. Right now the Rams passing game is pretty limited. It consists of bubble screens to Tavon, short crossing routes to Cook and the occasional deep throw to Britt and Bailey.