WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Coming off their second win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Rams will prepare for their third-straight home game on a short week. The 5-1 Minnesota Vikings will come to SoFi Stadium for Thursday Night Football in Week 8 for what will be a crucial matchup for the Rams.
They will be facing a former offensive coordinator in Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell along with one of the most aggressive defensive coordinators in the game, Brian Flores. On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, defensive coordinator Chris Shula, quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp spoke with the media. They discussed building on defensive success, Kupp's return from injury and preparing for a tough matchup against the blitz-happy Vikings with a quick turnaround.
Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from the press conferences, which can be viewed below:
"(Justin Jefferson) is the best (wide receiver) in the world, so you better have a plan for him. I know every team he plays against does. So that's the challenge of the NFL, you go from playing one of the best tight ends in the league (Brock Bowers) to one of the best receivers in the league." - Shula
Shula doesn't underestimate the dominance that Jefferson has displayed for a Vikings team that has just one loss entering their matchup in SoFi Stadium. That said, he also knows that he isn't their only weapon on offense. Shula said that "the more resources you put to stopping Justin Jefferson, now (wide receiver) Jordan Addison is also a great player as well." He also mentioned tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back Aaron Jones as difference-makers.
After four caused turnovers against the Raiders, Shula wants to build on that performance. He also talked about some of last week's standouts, including rookie safety Jaylen McCollough, who has three interceptions in the team's last two games. Shula said it's "an amazing story," and McCollough has been consistent from the jump. He's attentive in meetings and never changed his demeanor. Of cornerback Cobie Durant, who had two caused turnovers against Las Vegas as well, Shula said "he's always been one of the bright spots for the defense."
They are looking to keep the turnovers flowing against Minnesota.
"(The Vikings defense does) a lot and they do it well. And they're unique, obviously. So, a lot of respect for (defensive coordinator Brian Flores)... It's not fun to go against and not only that, their players play really, really hard, so it's going to be a great challenge for us both schematically and for our players." - LaFleur
Flores' defense is notorious for bringing heavy pressure out of numerous different looks. LaFleur acknowledged that having a 16-year veteran under center is always an advantage, but especially against an aggressive and smart defense. LaFleur said that "an edge is always Matthew's brain... he's seen it all."
To prepare for a "unique" defense, they watch film as far back as the Rams' game against the Flores-led Dolphins in 2020 to get a sense of what he might throw at them on Thursday. They use it as "reference" and there are certain similarities and differences between what he did then versus what he does now with Minnesota. LaFleur said Flores "will know exactly what I'm talking about" with respect to the similarities differences when he watches the press conference. They are preparing for a vast array of possibilities from Flores.
"(The Vikings defense is) a really physical unit, physical and fast. Try to force their hand on the offense and play with a lot of confidence when they do that... (they do it with) looks they present pre-snap, post-snap, pressures, the illusion of pressure, all that kind of stuff. They do a good job of trying to apply pressure to an offense." - Stafford
The Vikings have the highest blitz rate in the NFL (42.5%) and they bring that pressure from a variety of looks. Throughout his time in the NFL, Stafford has seen almost all of them, but that doesn't make it easy to prepare for. He said that Flores "picks and chooses what he wants to take" from the different places he's worked as an NFL coach. That includes the Patriots, Dolphins, Steelers and now Vikings.
Stafford called Flores a "really sharp guy" who players want to play hard for. And the Rams must prepare for that defense on a short week. Still, Stafford said he feels "pretty good" and as far as recovery goes, "you just jam it all in the best you can." Players know they won't feel the same on a Thursday as they would on a Sunday, but "at that point, it's a mindset."
Stafford also said that Kupp, who is expected to return on Thursday, is "an extension of what I do out there," and it'll been helpful to have him back in a game where reading the defense will be critical to success.
"I don't like coming off the field. I would love to be able to play as much as I possibly could (on Thursday) and that's going to be my mindset. When I'm healthy, I can do it. That's been my mindset, but that's up to the coaches ultimately, (and) the training staff to decide how they want to... use us." - Kupp
Last week, Kupp operated as if he was going to play against the Raiders on Sunday, and didn't know he would be inactive until right before the game. But this week, "he'll return to performance," as head coach Sean McVay often says, barring any setbacks.
Kupp said "there's a lot of different things" they can do to counter Flores' pressure looks such as mixing up the snap counts and changing tempo. He "was glad to get some practice in last week" because Thursday games don't leave a ton of time for normal workouts or practices. Kupp said he "feels really good" and is excited to get back on the game day field.
He and wide receiver Puka Nacua, who had his 21-day practice window opened today, helped each other out while they rehabbed from injury at the same time: "We're all so close, guys (are) rooting for each other... You can't be a part of that room and not be pulling for the guys that are sitting there next to you."
