Vikings vs. Rams: Three things to watch It’s a short week for the Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings Hoodie , hopefully the team has a short memory, because it sure has been a short, but long week. The Los Angeles Rams look to take on a Vikings team that was basically stunned last week, while Minnesota is looking to prove that the game against Buffalo was a fluke. Here’s three things to look out for:3. A blitz-friendly defenseI don’t recall seeing a whole lot of blitzing last week, then again I didn’t see a whole lot of the game because I was working. From what was on social media, I think it's fair to say that there wasn’t much aggressive play calling last week. Not as much as the fans wanted to see, at least. One play that really gets me pumped is when the defense sends in either Harrison Smith or Andrew Sendejo to blitz the quarterback. Both are very quick, and if effective can pressure the quarterback in under three seconds. With Todd Gurley in the backfield, blitzing will help with filling the gap in the trenches. It will also help put the pressure on Jared Goff. Minnesota can’t allow Goff anytime to throw the ball. If the Vikings allow Goff to get the ball off with no pressure, then it’s going to be a long day for that secondary, just look at last week. The Vikings aren't the same team without that aggressive demeanor. 2. Pat Elflein There is just something about Elflein’s return that just makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. Probably because he’s a big safety blanket, and a type of player that can’t be replaced, easilyElflein, last year’s Vikings Rookie of the Year will finally be able to begin his sophomore campaign. He also will help build that consistency on the line that fans and probably players have been waiting for. He started in 14 games last season, as well as the two playoff games. Elflein was a star at Ohio State. He started in 53 consecutive games before his injury against Carolina last season during week 14. Elflein gives that veteran type feel, even though it’s only his second year in the league. He reminds me of Matt Birk, I’m truly excited to have him back in the lineup, and I’m sure Kirk Cousins is too. 1. Kirk Cousins will have a “complete” gameI don’t mean that he’s going to play the whole game, well he is Youth Customized Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , but that’s not what I’m getting at. Last week against Buffalo, Cousins had a horrible first half, but a respectable second half, despite getting rolled over all together. As much as I would love to see the run game get rolling, I believe the Vikings will focus on the pass game with the Rams’ defensive backs being a little shaken up.The offense will try and expose that area of the defense as much as possible. Hopefully Cousins will get some more time to throw the ball or at least feel more protected with Elflein back in the lineup. Cousins will throw the ball about, I’m going to say 48 times for 425 yards and three touchdowns. *****My final thoughts and predictions:I never know what to expect out of the defense sometimes. I get the defense is one of the best in the league, but definitely not the most consistent. The Rams offense is loaded with weapons on all fronts. I feel that Zimmer and Edwards will figure out a solid game plan to shut down the offense. If anyone is more upset about the result last week it’s Zim. Vikings will find a way to pull it off and prove that the game against the Bills was a fluke. Vikings win 27-21. As the fourth quarter wound down in New Jersey yesterday, an unfamiliar feeling washed over me as I watched the game at home. My heart wasn’t racing. My blood pressure was at a healthy level. I wasn’t gritting my teeth, pacing the floor, or calculating the probability of different doomsday scenarios.I was...dare I say...relaxed!Of course, that calm feeling wasn’t there early on. I structured my preview of the Week 7 game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets around how volatile and unpredictable both teams had been during the 2018 season. The blustery first half mostly lived up to that. Outside of a few big plays early, neither team could find a modicum of consistency on offense. First downs were harder to find than food for Chris Spielman on days where he didn’t have ten tackles. (Yes, that’s something that he actually said on the broadcast yesterday. Vikings fans should thank their lucky stars that they ended up with the more sensible Spielman brother.) As the Vikings nursed a field goal lead into halftime, it looked like we were in for another unattractive nail-biter.But in the second half, the Vikings actually did what they were supposed to do. They leaned on their talented defense to make the opposing rookie quarterback uncomfortable. They avoided negative plays. And they finally took advantage of their opportunities to put the game away. In the end, the Vikings took the victory formation in the final minute after securing a 20-point road victory. Let’s take our weekly review of how we got there by going through the five biggest game-changing plays.Play 1: Vikings ball, 1st & 10 at the New York 34. First quarter, 13:28 remaining. K.Cousins pass deep right to A.Thielen for 34 yards, TOUCHDOWN.It didn’t take long for Kirk Cousins to find the NFL’s leading receiver. In fact www.minnesotavikingsteamonline.com , it only took four plays and under two minutes for Adam Thielen to give the Vikings an early lead.These were the first 34 of 110 yards on the day for Thielen, who of course tied the NFL record for most 100-yard games to start a season. Up next is Calvin Johnson’s all-time record of eight 100-yard games in a row. With how Thielen and the New Orleans secondary are playing so far, it would be tough to bet against the Vikings star wide receiver breaking the century mark again next Sunday.(Shout out to Brandon Zylstra and his 23-yard reception on his only offensive snap of the game in the third quarter, which temporarily fooled the announcers and most of us into thinking Thielen had set the record. We kind of got to celebrate twice because of it!)After that quick and efficient first drive where they went 68 yards in four plays (15 by penalty), it looked like the Vikings offense was poised to fire on all cylinders. That obviously wasn’t the case, as they sputtered to 44 yards of offense on their next five drives. Midway through the second quarter, Matt Wile punted from deep in Minnesota territory after a three-and-out. The Jets started at midfield down by a field goal.Play 2: Jets ball, 2nd & 7 at the New York 45. Second quarter, 7:22 remaining. (Shotgun) S.Darnold FUMBLES (Aborted) at NYJ 42, RECOVERED by MIN-T.Johnson at NYJ 44. T.Johnson to NYJ 44 for no gain (B.Shell).You know what’s the perfect remedy for a struggling offense? An opponent with a struggling offense that’s putting the ball on the ground. Spencer Long was inaccurate with his snap, Sam Darnold couldn’t get a clean handoff to Isaiah Crowell, and Tom Johnson was able to pounce on the fumble to waste New York’s opportunity. The Vikings had a three and out following this fumble, so it might not have been that impactful on the final outcome. But what Stephen Weatherly did after the fumble recovery was incredibly impactful on my funny bone.The fact that Weatherly is filling in well on the field in the absence of Everson Griffen was already an unexpected cause for celebration. But filling in for Griffen in the entertainment department might be a more impressive feat.Play 3: Jets ball, 1st & 10 at the New York 33. Third quarter, 8:08 remaining. S.Darnold pass deep left intended for R.Anderson INTERCEPTED by H.Smith (X.Rhodes) at MIN 39. H.Smith to NYJ 9 for 52 yards (E.Tomlinson).After the rough first half, the Vikings exploded for 27 points in the second half. But don’t let that part of the box score fool you—the defense was still the star of the show during the final 30 minutes.Xavier Rhodes deflected this errant Darnold pass right to Harrison Smith, who rumbled all the way down to the red zone on the first defensive play following a Latavius Murray touchdown. The Vikings still had to settle for a field goal after this pick, but they had already equaled their first half scoring output in the first two drives of the second half. Suddenly they had a 13-point cushion with over five minutes left in the third quarter.It was the second of four takeaways for the Vikings on the day, who avoided a turnover of their own for the first time in the 2018 season.But just barely.Play 4: Vikings ball Minnesota Vikings T-Shirt , 2nd & 2 at the Minnesota 33. Third quarter, 1:55 remaining. (Shotgun) K.Cousins FUMBLES (Aborted) at MIN 26, recovered by MIN-S.Diggs at MIN 26. S.Diggs to MIN 26 for no gain (P.Nickerson).It was pretty clear that the Vikings put an emphasis on reducing pressure and taking care of the ball this week. The offensive line did a good job protecting Cousins for the most part, allowing only nine total pressures according to Pro Football Focus. On the occasions he was pressured, Cousins did well at getting the ball out and avoiding danger, with two glaring exceptions:The first quarter sack where he nearly backpedaled into a safety; andThis play.I don’t know about you, but I was S-C-R-E-A-M-I-N-G at Stefon Diggs to pounce on the ball before Parry Nickerson did. It was fairly obvious that Cousins’ attempt to “play it safe” was a backwards pass. Thankfully, Diggs had the presence of mind to get there just in time and avoid giving the Jets great field position to pull within one score. Instead, the Vikings were able to put the game out of reach on their next drive.Play 5: Vikings ball, 1st & 10 at the New York 38. Fourth quarter, 13:46 remaining.L.Murray right guard for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN.CHOOOO CHOOOO!!!With Dalvin Cook missing yet another game with his nagging hamstring injury, the “Tay Train” proved that his performance last week against the Cardinals wasn’t a one-hit wonder. Murray’s numbers weren’t nearly as gaudy—15 carries for 69 yards along with two catches for 14—but this back-breaking run set up by an impressive block from Pat Elflein gave the Vikings the breathing room they needed to make the fourth quarter a much less nervy affair.The defense picked off Darnold two more times, Aldrick Robinson caught his third touchdown with his fourth reception of the year, and the Vikings coasted to their third straight victory to sit atop the NFC North.Being in first place is great, but the winning streak will face a big test next Sunday when the 5-1 Saints come to town. As always, we welcome you to vote in the poll to tell us which play you thought was the biggest and encourage you to suggest any we may have missed in the comments.