Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams: Fourth quarter open thread

Trailing by a score of 28-20 coming out of the locker room, 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?