In the words of Lee Corso about writing off the Los Angeles Rams for 2024, not so fast, my friend.
The Rams earned a critical home victory over the red-hot Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, getting to 3-4 on the season.
With wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back in the lineup, the Rams looked like a completely different football team.
The Rams scored a total of 30 points in the victory, and the team’s defense held quarterback Sam Darnold and company to just 20 points, a season-low for Minnesota.
With plenty of curiosity about where Kupp might land ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline, the answer all along might be he stays with the Rams.
The NFC West is absolutely for the taking right now, with the 3-4 Rams now holding the same record as the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. The division-leading Seattle Seahawks are only 4-3.
A 2-5 mark could have sent Los Angeles into selling mode. However, being 3-4 in this division means your playoff hopes are still alive and well.
Kupp is still a critical member of the Los Angeles offense, even if Nacua has overtaken him as the team’s most productive receiver. There is still a lot of football left, and the Rams are absolutely still playing for the postseason.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford put on a clinic against the Vikings, and team coach Sean McVay proved why you just can’t ever count his team out.
The Vikings losing two straight games after starting the year 5-0 shows how quickly the NFL season can change. The Rams weren’t in a great spot before this week, but getting their two best receivers back and beating Minnesota has totally changed the course of where their season can go.
If you were hoping Kupp might wind up with your favorite team, you might want to take a pause on that. The Rams are going to need him.