Latavius Murray (25) ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings' defense held down the Los Angeles Rams' top-scoring offense in a 24-7 win on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings/Twitter
MINNEAPOLIS -- Latavius Murray ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings' defense held down the Los Angeles Rams' top-scoring offense in a 24-7 win on Sunday.
Case Keenum was 27-of-38 passing for 280 yards and a touchdown against his former team, and Adam Thielen added six catches for 123 yards and a 65-yard touchdown reception for Minnesota (8-2). The Vikings, who entered the game with the league's fifth-best defense in terms of yards and points allowed, held Los Angeles to 261 total yards, an average of 4.7 per play, and a season low in points.
Rams running back Todd Gurley had five carries for 20 yards and a touchdown on the first possession of the game, but was held to 17 yards on 10 carries the rest of the way. Los Angeles was 3 of 11 on third down.
Jared Goff was 23 of 37 for 225 yards passing for the Rams (7-3), who had won four games in a row.
Minnesota won its sixth in a row with one key takeaway. Safety Anthony Harris -- starting in place of an injured Andrew Sendejo -- stripped receiver Cooper Kupp after a catch and recovered the ball at the 1-yard line as Kupp tried to score.
The game lived up to the matchup of division leaders in the NFC.
Los Angeles went 75 yards in nine plays on the first drive of the game and finished with a 6-yard touchdown run by Gurley. Minnesota held the Rams to 179 yards the rest of the way.
Kupp's turnover in the second quarter was the first for Los Angeles in 11 quarters. The previous one was a Goff interception in the third quarter of Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals in London.
The Vikings began to take control on the offensive side in the third quarter. Murray had his second touchdown to cap an 11-play, 71-yard drive in that quarter.
Minnesota held the ball for 20:06 in the second half with 99 yards rushing, and tallied 452 total yards in the game.
NOTES: Minnesota DE Brian Robison was inactive Sunday with a back injury. Robison showed up on the injury report on Friday with the injury. RT Mike Remmers (concussion) and S Andrew Sendejo (groin/hamstring) were other starters out for the Vikings. ... Los Angeles lost starting CB Kayvon Webster (concussion) and backup CB Nickell Robey-Coleman (thigh) during the game. Neither player returned. ... Minnesota CB Xavier Rhodes missed one defensive series with a left calf injury, but later returned. ... The Rams have scored on their opening drive in five straight games. They were 7-1 when scoring on the opening drive this season. ... Los Angeles had been one of two teams (Kansas City) that hadn't trailed by 14-plus points in any game this season.
