• With the lights turned bright, Sam Darnold did not meet the moment Monday night. What do the Vikings do now?
• Click the photo to read more about Sam Darnold’s brutal night against the Rams. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
• The Rams complete the blowout win, and they’re headed to the next round. They’ll take on the Philadelphia Eagles next weekend.
• The Rams had nine total sacks on the night, which tied an NFL playoff record.
• Rams stats
• Matthew Stafford: 19-of-27 for 209 yards with two touchdowns
• Kyren Williams: 76 yards on 16 carries
• Tyler Higbee: 58 yards on five receptions
• Vikings stats
• Sam Darnold: 25-of-40 for 245 yards, one touchdown, one interception
• Aaron Jones: 48 yards on 13 carries
• T.J. Hockenson: 64 yards, one touchdown on five catches
• Now, we’re really done here. Sam Darnold took a shot on fourth and long, and the Vikings turn it over on downs with 3:35 left. The Rams will now try to run out the clock and end this thing.
• Sam Darnold finally had the Vikings moving (kind of), and then he was just drilled in the backfield for a hard sack. We’re done here.
• A series of penalties killed the Rams on that drive, which forced them to punt it back to Minnesota. The Vikings don’t have a lot of time left, and will need to put points on the board quickly. Otherwise, this thing is over.
• The Vikings were cruising, and then it all fell apart. The Rams sacked Sam Darnold deep in the backfield again to set up a long fourth down, and they’ll have to punt.
• Minnesota is still deep in its own territory, and will have to score quickly in the fourth quarter if it’s going to mount a comeback.
• The Rams fail to respond after the Vikings’ score, but they whipped out a 54-yard punt to pin Minnesota inside its own 5.
• The Vikings will take over now with about two minutes left in the quarter. If they’re going to make a comeback, a score here is critical.
• T.J. Hockenson broke open a 26-yard score, and the Vikings’ streak of 21-straight drives without a touchdown is finally over. It’s his first touchdown of the year, and the longest pass play of the night for Minnesota.
• Their two-point attempt failed, though, so it’s 27-9.
• The Rams’ drive stalled out, but Joshua Karty extended their lead with a 44-yard field goal. The Rams are up 27-3 now with 7:19 left in the third quarter.

Rams Injury Update: Tyler Higbee (chest) has been downgraded to OUT.

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 14, 2025

• Sam Darnold got one 15-yard pass to Jordan Addison, but otherwise their opening drive of the second half was much of the same. He just threw behind a wide-open Nailor on third down, and out comes the Vikings’ punt team.
• Sam Darnold’s dream season has taken a dark turn over the course of two games. After a poor start in last week’s season-finale loss to the Lions, Darnold’s career playoff debut is a disaster through two quarters.
• Darnold’s taken six sacks and committed two turnovers as the Rams have jumped out to a 24-3 lead over Darnold’s Vikings
• First-half stats:
• Sam Darnold: 13 of 16 for 113 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception; 6 sacks taken, 1 fumble lost/returned for TD
• Matthew Stafford: 14 of 20 for 154 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 turnovers, 0 sacks taken
• Aaron Jones: 7 carries for 30 yards; 1 catch for 6 yards
• Kyren Williams: 5 carries for 37 yards; 3 catches for 16 yards and 1 touchdown
• Justin Jefferson: 5 catches for 58 yards
• Tyler Higbee: 5 catches for 58 yards
• Vikings total offense: 120 yards on 3.6 yards per play
• Rams total offense: 191 yards on 7.6 yards per play
• Vikings turnovers: 2Rams turnovers: 0
• The Vikings lost that game to Washington 17-10, for what it’s worth…

From ESPN Research: The last team with six sacks in a first half of a playoff game was Washington in the January 1988 NFC Championship Game against Minnesota.

— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) January 14, 2025

• The Rams are completely dominating this one. Davis Allen just ran in a 13-yard touchdown catch — his first of the year — after their fourth down stop, and the Rams are up 24-3 now just before halftime.
• This has been a brutal first half for Sam Darnold and the Vikings. He just took a sack on a 4th and 2 near midfield, and the Rams will take over with solid field position and a chance to score before half.
• The Vikings had one fumble overturned, but then they committed another just a few plays later. This one was, well, much worse.
• Sam Darnold was hit in the backfield and lost the ball, which resulted in a long 57-yard touchdown run from Jared Verse. The Rams are suddenly up 17-3.
• The Rams’ drive after their interception didn’t result in much, and the Vikings just barely missed blocking their punt. They’ll take over now at their own 10 yard line.
• I have no clue how this punt wasn’t blocked.