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Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams: Week Four Game Preview

By Wyatt Thomas Kimbrough

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 19: Tyler Higbee #89 of the Los Angeles Rams and Harrison Smith #22 of the Minnesota Vikings get tangled up while leaping for the ball in the second half of the game on November 19, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 19: Tyler Higbee #89 of the Los Angeles Rams and Harrison Smith #22 of the Minnesota Vikings get tangled up while leaping for the ball in the second half of the game on November 19, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 23: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Buffalo Bills at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 23: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings passes the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Buffalo Bills at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Vikings to Watch:

Kirk Cousins

Cousins’ stat line so far this season is worthy of a top ten quarterback, throwing for over 900 yds and seven touchdowns. However last week against Buffalo, Cousins threw only one touchdown while turning the ball over three times, tripling his amount of turnovers on the season.

Without running back Dalvin Cook, who is still listed as questionable at this time, Minnesota will rely heavily on the passing game. Cousins has a great group of receivers to throw to in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, and also a smart tight end in Kyle Rudolph.

I would expect Cousins to have a fairly decent game, and he will try and shoot the lights out with his passing to redeem himself from last weekend’s dreadful loss to Buffalo.

Harrison Smith

Smith is an incredibly smart and decisive defensive back, especially when it comes to defending passes. Goff will be attempting to get the ball out early on many plays, due to the pressure from the Vikings front, which Smith could capitalize on.

Smith knows how to read quarterbacks, as well as their receiver counterparts. Goff may be able to outsmart him, but I find that very unlikely to happen.

Smith is a true anchor of this Vikings defense, he has been for multiple seasons. A very underrated player in the secondary, Smith could have a huge impact on the outcome of this game.

Adam Thielen

There’s always a lot to say about one of the top receivers in the game of football. Thielen has it all right with the footwork, the route running — he can do it all.

One thing I love about Thielen is his uncanny ability to break away from defenders and find ways to get open to receive a pass. Thielen sits at 32 receptions for 338 yds on the season, amassing at least 100 yds per contest.

With the Rams’ secondary on the men,d I expect to see another 100-yard game out of Thielen, possibly more. If Cousins and Thielen are in sync on Thursday night, it could force LA’s second string defensive backs to play catch up all night long.

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