Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams: Fourth q

uarter open thread Trailing by a score of 28-20 coming out of the locker room Brett Favre Jersey , the Minnesota Vikings had to kick the ball to the Los Angeles Rams, as the Rams deferred to the second half after winning the opening coin toss. Dan Bailey once again launched one for a touchback, and the Rams started out from their own 25-yard line. After another big gain from Jared Goff to Cooper Kupp, Danielle Hunter got the first sack of the game for either team to stall the Los Angeles drive. The Rams went for a fake punt from the Minnesota 36-yard line, but Johnny Hekker’s long pass fell incomplete, and the Vikings got a huge break.The Vikings converted yet another third down, as Kirk Cousins found Stefon Diggs for a nice gain into Los Angeles territory at the 46. After Adam Thielen had to come off the field for a medical timeout after taking a hard shot, the Vikings failed to convert on third down, and Matt Wile came on to punt with Kupp fair catching the punt at the Rams’ 15.The Rams connected on a 57-yard screen pass to Todd Gurley (that was chased down by Danielle Hunter), and the play was originally flagged for a block in the back against Andrew Sendejo, but the flag was picked up because reasons. Holton Hill made a nice play on a run play to Kupp to create a five-yard loss. That was enough to stall the Rams’ drive, as they had to call on Sam Ficken for a 34-yard field goal attempt. He connected, and extended the Los Angeles lead to 31-20 with about five and a half minutes left in the third quarter.Ficken put the ball through the end zone for another touchback, and the Vikings started at their own 25 again. Cousins then threw a ball that went off of the hands of Rams’ cornerback Sam Shields and into the hands of Stefon Diggs for a first down near midfield. Cousins found Diggs again for a short gain, and on the next play Cousins found Thielen for a big 45-yard touchdown! Minnesota went for two following the touchdown, and Cousins found Latavius Murray for the conversion to make it 31-28.We actually had a kickoff return on the ensuing kickoff, as Blake Countess took the ball from the goal line and took it to. . .the 25-yard line. The Rams quickly advanced to near midfield on a run by Todd Gurley and a pass from Jared Goff to Robert Woods. Wood and Goff connected again, this time for more points for the Rams as Anthony Barr was in coverage again for a 31-yard score. Ficken hit the extra point, and the Rams’ lead was back to 10 at 38-28.The Vikings got the ball at their own 25 again after another touchback with about a minute left in the quarter. Cousins found Thielen again for a 14-yard gain and a first down, and as we move to the final quarter of play, the Vikings are look at 2nd-and-8 from their own 41-yard line.Fifteen minutes of football left at the Coliseum, ladies and gentlemen, and the Vikings trail the Rams by a score of 38-28. Can the purple mount what would be a pretty sweet comeback? EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kirk Cousins is coming to MetLife Stadium as a villain in purple and gold.The Vikings quarterback was hotly pursued by the Jets in the offseason, with New York offering a massive three-year, $90 million deal to be the man to lead the struggling franchise. Instead, Cousins chose to go to Minnesota, which actually signed him to a deal worth $6 million less.More Vikings coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Rookie Bradbury is central figure to Vikings’ overhauled offensive lineVikings depth at cornerback being tested, Hughes still not clearedPlayers to watch at Minnesota Vikings 2019 training campTop Tweets: Vikings WR Diggs makes push for All-NFL Style TeamThe details of his free agency journey after six years in Washington were captured in a documentary series recently posted by the Vikings. It led to some harsh takes by New York-area media for using the Jets as leverage, and will undoubtedly result in plenty of boos from scorned fans when Cousins takes the field Sunday. And, the veteran quarterback is ready for it all.“Criticism is going to be a part, especially when you’re going into an opposing team’s media climate Adam Thielen Jersey ,” Cousins said. “They’re going to find ways to criticize.”Oh, and fittingly, New York is holding a Marvel-sponsored promotion Sunday with a Hulk (the Jets, of course) vs. Thor (the Vikings, of course) theme.As everything turned out, though, Jets fans can’t be too disappointed by the snub.After being turned down by Cousins, New York focused fully on the draft. The Jets swung a stunning deal with Indianapolis to move up to No. 3 overall and ended up grabbing Sam Darnold.“Either you get him or you don’t,” coach Todd Bowles said. “We didn’t have him and we are happy with Sam. I’m sure they are happy with Kirk.”Cousins has the Vikings off to a 3-2-1 start , and has thrown 12 touchdown passes and three interceptions. His 185 completions rank second in the NFL, one behind Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck.The Jets know, in the back of their minds, that Cousins could’ve been doing that for them. Still, they insist there are no hard feelings or a sense for delivering some revenge.“I don’t pay any attention to that,” linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. “The guy’s a competitor. He came from a position that he didn’t really like and made the most of it. I don’t hold anything against him.”Meanwhile, Darnold has shown nice progress the last few weeks and made the Cousins situation a distant memory .The 21-year-old rookie was 24 of 30 for 280 yards and two touchdowns with an interception last week in a 42-34 win over Indianapolis. His 80.0 completion percentage was the highest by a Jets rookie in a single game, and Darnold looks for his third straight outing with at least two TD passes.“Yeah,” Darnold said, “everything worked out for the best, I think.”Here are some other things to know as the Jets host the Vikings:HOME COOKIN’The Jets are looking to sweep a three-game homestand after wins against the Broncos and Colts. And they’ll try to do it against a team they’ve never lost to at home.New York is 8-2 in 10 all-time meetings with Minnesota, including 5-0 at home.“It’s huge,” Darnold said. “I think it’s safe to say we want to win every single game we play, but definitely on a homestand, winning every single game that we get at home because our fans are amazing.”THRIVING RICHARDSONThe Vikings are tied for fifth in the NFL with 18 sacks, with defensive end Danielle Hunter tied with Houston’s J.J. Watt for the league lead with seven sacks apiece. The presence of defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, the 2013 first-round draft pick by the Jets, has been a boost to an already stout front four.Richardson is tied for eighth in the NFL with 10 quarterback hits, and has taken on more double-team blocks than he expected, allowing Hunter and his other teammates more space to disrupt the opposing backfield.The last two years of Richardson’s tenure with the Jets were rocky , but after a one-season stop in Seattle he has felt settled in Minnesota despite playing on a one-year, prove-it contract.“A good situation, a good team Stefon Diggs Jersey , good family oriented guys, good coaching staff,” Richardson said. “Can’t really beat it.”DEALIN’ WITH THIELENThe Jets will be missing safety Marcus Maye on Sunday because of a broken thumb, but he’s not the only concern in the secondary. Cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (quadriceps) and Buster Skrine (concussion) are uncertain to play, which means New York will have to get creative against Vikings receiver Adam Thielen.Thielen leads the NFL with 58 catches — the most by a player through the first six games in league history — and 712 yards receiving. He also has 100 or more yards receiving in every game.Rookie Parry Nickerson and veteran Darryl Roberts could end up seeing a lot of Thielen.“Whether you double him, triple him, single him or play zone, he finds a way to get open and get it done,” Bowles said.AN ANSWER FOR QJets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa will miss the game with a sprained ankle that could sideline him for a few weeks.It’s a big blow to the offense — especially Darnold, who had developed a nice rapport with him. Enunwa leads the team with 22 catches and 287 yards receiving.Jermaine Kearse, who led New York in receptions last year, might be the immediate beneficiary. He caught a season-high nine passes for 94 yards last week.HUNTING FOR QUARTERBACKSHunter, who will turn 24 on Oct. 29, has 32½ sacks in 52 career regular-season games.His prowess, plus the emergence of third-year defensive end Stephen Weatherly, helped the Vikings overcome the unexpected absence of three-time Pro Bowl pick Everson Griffen, who remains away from the team indefinitely for mental health reasons . Hunter has played 216 of a possible 239 snaps in four games Griffen has been inactive.“I think Danielle can play a million plays if he wanted to,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “He’s built like Adonis.”MINNESOTA (3-2-1) at NEW YORK JETS (3-3)Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FoxOPENING LINE — Vikings by 3 ½RECORD VS. SPREAD — Minnesota 3-2-1, New York 3-3SERIES RECORD — Jets lead 8-2LAST MEETING — Vikings beat Jets 30-24, OT, Dec. 7, 2014LAST WEEK — Vikings beat Cardinals 27-17; Jets beat Colts 42-34AP PRO32 RANKING — Vikings No. 7, Jets No. 21VIKINGS OFFENSE — OVERALL (10), RUSH (28), PASS (8).VIKINGS DEFENSE — OVERALL (16), RUSH (9), PASS (19).JETS OFFENSE — OVERALL (26), RUSH (7), PASS (27).JETS DEFENSE — OVERALL (22), RUSH (17) Harrison Smith Jersey , PASS (22).STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Teams square off for 11th time, with New York undefeated at home in series (5-0). … Vikings look for three-game winning streak after victories at Philadelphia and vs. Arizona. … Vikings QB Kirk Cousins was offered three-year, $90 million deal by Jets during free agency in March, but chose to sign with Minnesota for three years, $84 million. After striking out on Cousins, New York turned to draft and took Sam Darnold at No. 3 overall. … Cousins’ 185 completions rank second in NFL, one behind Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck. His 1,921 yards passing through six games are second most in team history behind Daunte Culpepper (1,949 in 2004). … RB Latavius Murray coming off career-high 155 yards rushing vs. Cardinals. … WR Adam Thielen had 11 catches for 123 yards last week, joining Houston’s Charley Hennigan (1961) as only players in NFL history with 100 or more yards in each of his team’s first six games to begin season. With another 100-yard game, Thielen would join Detroit’s Calvin Johnson (eight, 2012), Denver’s Demaryius Thomas (seven, 2014), Dallas’ Michael Irvin (seven, 1995) and Hennigan (seven, 1961) as only players with at least seven games in row at any point in same season. Thielen also leads NFL with 58 catches — most by player in first six games in league history — and 712 yards receiving. Thielen has three games of 10 or more catches, second -most in a season for Vikings behind Cris Carter’s four in 1994 and ’95. … TE Kyle Rudolph has started 55 consecutive games, longest streak by any TE in team history. … DE Danielle Hunter tied with Houston’s J.J. Watt for NFL lead with seven sacks, and with Indianapolis’ Margus Hunt with nine tackles for loss. … DT Sheldon Richardson faces Jets for first time since being traded to Seattle before 2017 season for WR Jermaine Kearse and second-round draft pick. … Jets looking for first three-game winning streak since Weeks 3-5 of last season. … Darnold was 24 of 30 for 280 yards and two TD with one INT last week vs. Indianapolis, and 80.0 completion percentage was highest by Jets rookie in single game. Darnold looks for third straight game with at least two TD passes. … RB Bilal Powell needs 22 yards rushing to pass Adrian Murrell for ninth on Jets’ career list. … Leading WR Quincy Enunwa (22 catches, 287 yards) out for game with sprained ankle that could sideline him multiple weeks. … WR Terrelle Pryor has TD catches in each of last two games, but is dealing with groin injury. Status was uncertain mid-week. … LB Darron Lee joins Arizona S Tre Boston as only players with 35 or more tackles (37) and at least three INTs this season. … CB Morris Claiborne had first career pick-6 last week, returning Luck’s second pass of game 17 yards for TD. … Jets’ secondary banged up with CBs Buster Skrine (concussion) and Trumaine Johnson (quad) uncertain to play and S Marcus Maye (broken thumb) ruled out. … Jets only team to have two games with at least four takeaways in each. … K Jason Myers set franchise record by making seven field goals, one shy of Rob Bironas’ NFL record. He had 24 total points, with three PATs, to rank second to Bironas — who had 26 in record-setting game in 2007 — for most points in league history by player who didn’t score TD. … Fantasy tip: Thielen and Diggs could feast on Jets’ short-handed secondary, but Rudolph could also be in for big game against shaky coverage.