Starting linebacker Blake Cashman (turf toe) and reserve cornerback Akayleb Evans (hip) missed their second straight games due to injuries.
The Rams activated receiver Puka Nacua from injured reserve for his first action since sustaining a knee injury in the season opener. Star receiver Cooper Kupp also played Thursday, returning from a Week 2 ankle injury.
The Vikings defense hadn’t allowed an opening-drive score or a first-quarter touchdown through six games this season. The Rams accomplished both thanks, in part, to linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. getting flagged for a face mask penalty, setting up a first-and-goal for the Rams offense. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a 5-yard touchdown to Rams running back Kyren Williams, who slipped past Pace in coverage over the middle.
Stafford and the Rams offense hunted the middle of the field, where Cashman deflected five passes in five games before suffering a toe injury in the Oct. 6 win against the Jets.
Pace and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, who aligned at inside linebacker at times, were on the wrong end of Rams catches in the first half.
The Vikings defense suddenly became penalty prone in Los Angeles, where edge rusher Jihad Ward and cornerbacks Byron Murphy Jr. and Stephon Gilmore gifted the Rams first downs with third-down flags in the first half. Defensive holding calls on Murphy and Gilmore extended a drive that ended with Stafford’s 7-yard touchdown to Kupp that tied the score 14-14 in the second quarter.
