Goff's five TD passes lead unbeaten Rams past Vikings
Jared Goff fired five touchdown passes, four in the first half, and Cooper Kupp caught nine passes for 162 yards and two scores as the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams won a 38-31 shootout Thursday night against the visiting Minnesota Vikings. Goff completed 26 of 33 passes for 465 yards in leading the Rams to their first 4-0 start since 2001, when the St. Louis Rams won their first six games. On a night of high-octane offenses, the Rams had 556 total yards and the Vikings gained 446. Minnesota's Kirk Cousins completed 36 of 50 passes for 422 yards and three TDs as the Vikings (1-2-1) lost for the second consecutive week. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs caught 11 passes for 123 yards and Adam Thielen caught eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Running back Todd Gurley took a backseat to the Rams' pass-first offense, rushing 17 times for 83 yards, but he did catch an 8-yard TD pass for L.A.'s first score. He had four catches for 73 yards. The Rams had three wideouts with 10-plus yards receiving. In addition to Kupp, Brandin Cooks caught seven passes for 116 yards and a touchdown and Robert Woods caught five for 101 yards and a TD. The Vikings took a 17-14 lead with 8:04 remaining in the second quarter when Cousins connected with Aldrick Robinson for 17-yard touchdown. It was Aldrick's second score of the half. Goff then led the Rams to two touchdowns in less than a three-minute stretch, hitting Kupp on a 19-yard score and Cooks for a 47-yard TD for a 28-17 lead. They never trailed again. Kupp also caught a 70-yard TD pass in the second quarter, finishing with the first multi-touchdown game of his two-year career. After Rams kicker Sam Ficken missed a 28-yard field goal that would have given the Rams a 13-point lead with 8:21 to play, Vikings kicker Dan Bailey made a 40-yarder with 3:50 remaining to cut the lead to 38-31. The Vikings got the ball back with 2:20 remaining and a chance to tie the game, but Cousins was stripped by Rams rookie defensive end John Franklin-Myers. Aaron Donald recovered the fumble with 1:18 to go and Los Angeles ran out the clock. --Field Level Media
