Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams match player stats: verified leaders and trends

Lede. If you searched for Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams match player stats, this is the definitive breakdown to keep and share. We compile the most recent meetings, lock in verified player lines, and explain the small efficiencies that swung each chapter. The core sample is the 2025 NFC Wild Card, a 27–9 Rams win that was relocated to Arizona because of Southern California wildfires (see the AP wild-card recap), plus the 2024 regular-season game in Inglewood that Los Angeles controlled 30–20 behind four Matthew Stafford touchdown passes. For the rolling league context, browse our sports news hub.

What decided the Wild Card game

The Rams ended Minnesota’s 2024 season in a performance that was more composed than explosive. Stafford threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. Kyren Williams added 76 rushing yards and a receiving score. Los Angeles finished with 292 total yards to Minnesota’s 269 and won the explosives versus mistakes trade, forcing two Vikings turnovers while committing none. It looked like a close tactical arm wrestle, then tilted on field position and red-zone clarity. If you need the full ledger, the ESPN box score lists every snap.

Source for Wild Card totals and leaders: primary box scores and official game stats.

Two turning points

Two moments captured the tone. First, linebacker Jared Verse’s awareness and closing speed turned a loose ball into a 57-yard return for a touchdown, a swing play in the second quarter that pushed the Rams’ lead to two scores and forced Minnesota off script. Second, Cobie Durant’s interception ended the Vikings’ best chance at compressing the margin before halftime. These were not fluke bounces, they were the product of clean pocket wins and disciplined underneath coverage.

How the stat sheet explains the score

Protection and negative plays. The Rams sacked Darnold nine times, a cumulative tax that kept Minnesota behind the chains even when individual series began well. Every sack erased a positive play and kept the Vikings below five yards per play. Stafford took two sacks, but Los Angeles avoided the drive-killing sequences that defined the other sideline.

Red zone and mistake math. The Wild Card game was won by mistake avoidance, not gaudy explosives. Los Angeles finished with zero turnovers. Minnesota’s two giveaways, including the scoop-and-score, created a scoreboard slope the offense could not flatten with field goals. Time of possession favored the Vikings by nearly five minutes, but it served mostly to shorten the game rather than shift control because their trips stalled.

Distribution patterns. Stafford broke the ball out of coverage pockets with quick throws to the tight ends and crossers to Nacua and Kupp, choices that traded yards after catch for safety. On Minnesota’s side, the pass game was balanced, with nine targets to Jefferson and eight to Addison, but the average depth was modest, which limited explosives unless run-after-catch was perfect.

What the 2024 meeting told us in advance

When these teams met in Week 8 of the 2024 regular season, the Rams won 30–20 and the shape of that game previewed the postseason. Stafford threw four touchdowns and no sacks were recorded against Los Angeles, a clean-pocket story that allowed the Rams to live in second and medium.

Puka Nacua posted 106 yards, Cooper Kupp added a touchdown, and Kyren Williams ran 23 times for 97 yards, a volume profile that compressed variance in the fourth quarter while Minnesota tried to climb back. For a neutral recap of that night’s flow and injuries, see the Reuters recap of the 30–20 win.

Player stat lines you will look for first

Matthew Stafford. Wild Card: 19 of 27, 209 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions. Week 8, 2024: 25 of 34, 279 yards, four touchdowns, one interception. The thread is risk management. The Rams asked Stafford to choose leverage throws and let the receivers work, which shows up in a steady yards-per-attempt cushion over Minnesota’s quarterbacks in both games.

Sam Darnold. Wild Card: 25 of 40, 245 yards, one touchdown, one interception, nine sacks. Week 8, 2024: 18 of 25, 240 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions. The difference between the two lines is pressure. When the pocket held in October, the ball was out on time to Jefferson and Oliver in the middle third. When it did not in January, down and distance turned unfriendly and the sack count decided sequencing more than accuracy did.

Kyren Williams. Wild Card: 16 rushes for 76 yards, plus a short receiving touchdown that underscored Los Angeles’ red-zone sequencing. Week 8, 2024: 23 for 97 and a steady diet of inside zone and duo that helped the Rams close. Williams’ usage is a weather vane. When he gets early downs without penetration, Los Angeles can stage shot plays off play action and protect the tackles later.

Justin Jefferson and the Vikings’ pass catchers.

Jefferson cleared 50 yards in both meetings, Hockenson found the seams for a score in January, and Jordan Addison’s volume tracked with game state. The routes were there, but little came free down the field once the Rams won early in the rush. For roster-arc context on Minnesota’s quarterback room, read our note on JJ McCarthy’s injury and the Vikings’ quarterback room.

Situational football, translated

Third down. The drive math favored Los Angeles with manageable thirds. The Vikings carried heavier distances, which limited any quick-strike chance to flip the game. Sacks and penalties are the unseen third-down stats because they set the yardage. The Rams protected those zones, the Vikings did not.

Red zone. Minnesota needed touchdowns early. A field goal to make it 10–3 in the second quarter and a third-quarter push that stalled at six points left too little time to lean on Aaron Jones on the ground. Los Angeles’ scripted work inside the 20 was simple, with motion and stack releases that created inside leverage without requiring hero ball.

Hidden yards. Punt and kick return margins were small, which magnified the impact of pass protection, net punting, and penalty discipline. The Rams’ five punts around the 50-yard mark with three downed inside the 20 forced long fields. That shows up later as short Minnesota possessions that returned the ball to Stafford near midfield.

The defensive picture

For the Rams, the front was led by Byron Young and Kobie Turner collapsing interior gaps, with edges winning the arc when Minnesota’s backs had to scan on long yardage. The result was pressure without inviting explosives behind it. For the Vikings, Ivan Pace Jr. and Harrison Smith filled and tackled cleanly, but could not string stops together once short fields appeared after the turnover. The difference was not missed tackles, it was the locations of the snaps.

The trend line between the teams

The regular-season template carried into January. If Los Angeles keeps Stafford clean and feeds Williams on schedule, the Rams can ride efficiency and a late pass rush to control the fourth quarter. If Minnesota is the one that keeps the pocket neutral, the Vikings have enough star power to trade scores. In this two-game sample, pass protection and turnover avoidance outweighed everything else. For cross-game comparisons and more head-to-heads in this format, our NFL form snapshot adds context without interrupting the tape study.

FAQ for quick answers

What is the most recent Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams result? The Rams beat the Vikings 27–9 in the 2025 NFC Wild Card, a game moved to Glendale because of wildfires near Los Angeles. The relocation note is in the AP wild-card recap.

Who were the top performers? Stafford led the Rams with 209 yards and two touchdowns, Williams added 76 rushing yards and a receiving score, and Hockenson led Minnesota’s pass catchers with 64 yards and a touchdown. The complete splits are in the ESPN box score.

What happened in the last regular-season meeting? On October 24, 2024, the Rams won 30–20 at SoFi Stadium with Stafford throwing four touchdown passes, Puka Nacua clearing 100 receiving yards, and Williams rushing for 97. For a clean narrative of that night, see the Reuters recap.

Box score snapshot, all in one place

Wild Card, Jan. 13, 2025, at Glendale. Rams 27, Vikings 9. Stafford 19 of 27 for 209 and two touchdowns. Williams 16 for 76 rushing, plus a short receiving score. Hockenson five for 64 and a touchdown for Minnesota. Total yards: LAR 292, MIN 269. Time of possession: MIN 32:18, LAR 27:42. Turnovers: MIN 2, LAR 0. Sacks allowed: MIN 9, LAR 2.

Regular season, Oct. 24, 2024, at SoFi Stadium. Rams 30, Vikings 20. Stafford 25 of 34 for 279 and four touchdowns, one interception. Nacua seven for 106, Kupp five for 51 and a score. Williams 23 for 97. Darnold 18 of 25 for 240 and two touchdowns, no interceptions.

The bottom line

Across two meetings that mattered, the Rams’ offense stayed on schedule, protected Stafford, and kept turnovers at zero in January. Minnesota’s offense produced volume but not the explosives and red-zone conversion rate that lift a road team in the playoffs. If you are building a quick mental model of the Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams match player stats, it is this: clean pockets and clean possessions for Los Angeles, stress tests on the Vikings’ protection, and a scoreboard that slides when Stafford is throwing on his terms.