The St. Louis Rams are set to play against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday. Yikes. The Vikings are just one of those teams that the Rams have struggled against. Historically speaking, they have lost 23 of 41 games against the Vikings, including five postseason losses. With that said, the victories the Rams do have over the Vikings are generally blowouts.
The Vikings became a despised team when the Rams were playing in Los Angeles, particularly in the 1970s. The struggle truly began in 1969 (Which is close enough to the 70s) during the Divisional Playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium. The Rams had a strong first half, where they scored 17 of their 20 points. However, the Rams were limited to only a field goal in the second half which prompted their demise since the defense couldn’t hold on to their slim lead. The Rams went on to lose, 23-20.
That wasn’t the last time the Rams would see the Vikings in the postseason. In 1974, the Rams would get their rematch only to lose again at Metropolitan Stadium 14-10. Home field advantage didn’t seem to matter either, because in 1977 the Vikings beat the Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, only this time it was a devastating 14-7 loss.
The Rams’ salvation came on December 31, 1978 when they had a rematch against the Vikings at home. This game initially appeared to be another tough game since the score was tied at 10 going into halftime. But, the Vikings had a brutal second half since their offense was held scoreless the rest of the game. The Rams’ offense, on the other hand, showed no mercy with QB Pat Haden and RB Cullen Bryant leading the way. Haden had two touchdown passes and Bryant added 100 rushing yards and one touchdown which led to a 34-10 thrashing over the Vikings. Victory at last. At least until the following game where they were humiliated by the Dallas Cowboys (28-0) during the Conference Championship game. Ouch.
This trend has continued where the Vikings had a string of victories (both regular season and postseason games) over the Rams, and then the Rams will have a couple of decisive wins over the Vikings. In fact, from 1987-1998 the Rams suffered six straight losses to the Vikings only for them to have three consecutive wins from 2000-2003. The most important victory for the Rams from that time span came in 2000.
January 16, 2000 was the last time that the Rams played against the Vikings in the playoffs. This game in particular was a vital part of the Rams’ 1999 Super Bowl year. The Vikings had a talented offense led by a talented duo of wide receivers named Cris Carter and Randy Moss. But, even with those talented receivers, they were no match for the offensive juggernauts that was known as “The Greatest Show on Turf.” The veteran quarterback Jeff George led the team with 423 passing yards and four touchdowns; Moss and Carter combined for an amazing 294 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The Rams also had famous receiving duo in Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, but quarterback Kurt Warner spread the ball out earning 391 yards and five touchdowns. The main beneficiary being Bruce as he earned 131 yards and one touchdown. The outcome was a 49-37 Rams victory. The score seemed a lot closer than it actually was considering that the Vikings scored 20 of their 37 points in the fourth quarter. In other words, the Rams had a comfortable lead throughout.
Source: Footballdb.com, Pro-football-reference.com
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