Now it's time for the second 2017 NFC Wild Card Game from TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Game time temperature is 17 degrees, with light snow and a southeast wind at 3 MPH.
The Rams scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Jared Goff completed passes of fourteen yards to Robert Woods and sixteen yards to Tyler Higbee, and the drive reached the Vikes' twenty-seven before stalling. Greg Zuerlein's forty-four yard field goal attempt was right down the middle, and the Rams led 3-0 with 10:14 left in the opening period.
The Vikes answered with a touchdown. The key play of the drive was made by running back Latavius Murray. who bolted up the middle on a draw play for forty-four yards and a first down at the Rams' fourteen, On second and nine from the thirteen, Murray ran the same play into the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point snap was muffed, but holder Ryan Quigley rescued it and threw a pass to reserve running back Dalvin Cook, who made the catch at the goal line and stepped into the end zone for the two-point conversion. With 7:24 left in the opening period, the Vikes had an 8-3 lead.
The Rams answered with a field goal. Pharoh Cooper returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to his own forty-nine, and Goff immediately completed a twenty-three yard pass to Cooper Kupp. The drive eventually reached the Minnesota twenty-six, but Todd Gurley was thrown for a four-yard loss on first down, and a pair of false starts ended their touchdown hopes. The drive eventually got back to the thirty-five, where Zuerlein faced a fifty-two yard attempt into the teeth of a snow squall. The kick started out wide left, but reversed course and went through the uprights at the last moment. With 5:04 left in the opening quarter, it was Vikes 8, Rams 6.
The Vikes' next touchdown drive straddled the first and second quarters. Quarterback Case Keenum was on fire, completing all six of his passes. Adam Thielen caught a pair for twelve and fifteen yards, and Stefon Diggs caught three for twelve, eleven, and fifteen, the latter going for the touchdown. For the second time, there was a bad snap on the extra point attempt, and Kai Forbath's kick sailed wide right. With 13:41 left in the first half, the Vikes led 14-6.
The Rams answered with a touchdown of their own, Goff found Sammy Watkins over the middle for twenty yards, and Gurley caught a fifteen-yard screen pass that gave the Rams a first down at the Vikes' thirteen. From there, Goff found a wide-open Woods in the end zone for the score. Coach Sean McVay decided to kick the extra point instead of going for two, and Zuerlein converted to cut the Minnesota lead to 14-13 with less than ten minutes to play in the half.
The Rans took the lead with another touchdown just before the half. Running back Jerick McKinnon was stripped of the ball by Aaron Donald, and strong safety John Johnson made the recovery at the Minnesota thirty-three. Goff connected with Woods for twelve yards and a first down, and two plays later from the nineteen he fired for Kupp, who made a diving one-handed catch in the end zone for the score. Zuerlein's extra point gave the Rams a 20-14 halftime lead.
The Rams added a field goal midway through the third quarter. Goff found Kupp with a pair of key passes; one went for seventeen yards, while the other went for twenty-five and a first down at the Vikes' twenty-eight. The drive stalled at the twenty-six, but Zuerlein connected from forty-three yards out to extend the Rams' lead to 23-14 with exactly seven minutes left in the third period.
The Vikes countered with a field goal of their own. McKinnon's kickoff return set up the offense at their own thirty-six, and the drive's big play was Keenum's forty-six yard bomb to reserve wideout Jarius Wright, which gave the Vikes a first and goal at the LA nine-yard line. The drive reached inside the one before a third-down screen pass to McKinnon lost two yards. Forbath was thus faced with a twenty-yard attempt, which he converted to cut the Rams' lead to 23-17 with 1:54 left in the quarter.
The Rams' next drive straddled the third and fourth quarters. Goff found Higbee for thirteen yards and a first down, and Gurley burst up the middle for eighteen yards and a first and goal at the Minnesota eleven. The drive stalled at the six, but Zuerlein's twenty-three yard chip shot extended the Rams' led to 26- 17 with 13:19 left in regulation time.
The Vikes answered with a field goal. The drive's biggest play came on third and twenty-three from the Minnesota thirty-five, as Keenum hit wide receiver Adam Thielen down the left sideline for a gain of twenty-seven. A sixteen-yard completion to Diggs gave the Purple Gang a first down at the Rams' twenty-two, but the offense could only gain one more yard. Forbath connected from thirty-eight yards out to bring the Vikes within 26-20 with 9:02 to play.
After the defense forced a three-and out, the Vikes scored again to take the lead. Keenum hit tight end Kyle Rudolph for gains of ten and twenty-two, then connected with Murray out of the backfield for fourteen more. McKinnon gained twelve on a draw play to give the Vikes a first down at the Rams' thirteen, and on the next play Cook raced through the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown. Forbath's extra point put the Vikes up 27-26 with less than four minutes remaining. The Rams got as far as the Minnesota eight on their final drive, but Goff's fourth-down pass was broken up in the end zone as time ran out, and the Vikes had survived. Final score: Minnesota 27, Los Angeles 26.
This report took more than one sim to put together for technical reasons, so there's no MVP and no statistics.
The following week, the Vikes traveled to Philadelphia to meet the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Nick Foles completed twenty-six of his thoirty-three passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. Two of them went to Alshon Jeffery, who caught five passes for eighty-five yards, and one went to Torrey Smith, who caught five passes for sixty-nine yards. LaGarrette Blount added a rushing touchdown, and cornerback Patrick Robinson returned a Keenum interception fifty yards for a touchdown. The Vikes scored first on a twenty-five yard touchdown pass from Keenum to Rudolph, but didn't come close to scoring again.
The Eagles will represent the NFC in Super Bowl LII here at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday, February 4.
Next: The Pats host the Chargers in the first AFC Divisional Playoff.
Thoughts?
You mean US Bank Stadium. TCF Bank Stadium is a college football stadium that was temporarially used by the Vikings for the 2014 and 15 seasons.
