The Rams wrapped up their three-game home stand in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night, beating the Minnesota Vikings 38-31 in Week 4.
Los Angeles finished the first quarter of the 2018 season a perfect 4-0 thanks to career days from quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Although the offense led the way on Thursday night, Rams pass rushers stepped up to make a few major defensive plays down the stretch to halt the Vikings' offense.
Here are seven stats that stood out in Week 4 against the Vikings:
1. 400+ YARDS, 5 TDS
Goff recorded his first 400-yard passing performance against the Vikings. He became the first Rams' quarterback to throw for 400 yards since Marc Bulger, who threw for 442 yards against the Giants in 2005.
Goff finished his night with five touchdowns. The last Rams' quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a game was Kurt Warner against the 49ers in 1999.
Goff's career-best stat line now reads: 26-for-33, 465 yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions — good for a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
2. GOFF GOES 300+
Quarterback Jared Goff stayed hot Week 4 against the Vikings with arguably the best game of his career.
Goff once again threw for over 300 yards on Thursday night — the eighth 300 yard game of his NFL career. With eight games of at least 300 yards passing, Goff is now No. 4 on the Rams' all-time list. Goff passed former Rams quarterback Sam Bradford.
3. GOFF'S FIRST HALF
Jared Goff lit up the Vikings in the first half, going 13-of-17 passing for 251 yards and four touchdowns.
NFL Research tweeted three stats summing up just how good Goff was in the first 30 minutes:
• Most pass touchdowns (four) by a Rams QB in a half since Kurt Warner in 1999
• Matches Goff's career high for passing touchdowns (Weeks 9 & 16, 2017)
• First quarterback with 250 pass yards and four passing touchdowns in a first half since Drew Brees in 2015
4. STREAK ENDS
Goff and the Rams offense went three-and-out for the first time since the opening drive of Week 1's game against the Raiders.
The Rams' third drive of the game ended with punter Johnny Hekker sending the ball 39 yards into Vikings territory.
On the drive, Goff handed the ball to Gurley for a seven-yard carry, and then missed both tight end Tyler Higbee and wide receiver Cooper Kupp with a pair of passes before punting it away.
5. COOPER KUPP'S CAREER DAY
Second-year receiver Cooper Kupp led all Rams' receivers with with a career high 162 yards on Thursday Night Football.
Kupp added two touchdowns to his big night — both scores came on big-time throws from Goff.
In his first touchdown of the second quarter, the Eastern Washington product broke off a 70-yard touchdown reception on a bomb from Goff on 2nd-and-10 from the L.A. 30 yardline.
Kupp now has four touchdowns through the season's first quarter.
6. ALL GAS, NO BRAKES
The Rams offense was scoring and scoring fast against the Vikings' defense.
In the first half alone, the Rams had two scoring drives that were two plays each, as well as a four-play scoring drive. All three drives were for more than 70 yards.
The Rams two, two-play drives came thanks to the 70-yard touchdown pass to Kupp and a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks, for his first touchdown as a Ram.
7. DONALD'S FIRST (AND SECOND) SACK
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald recorded his first sack of the season early in the fourth quarter of Thursdays night's game.
Donald's much-anticipated sack came with the Vikings facing 2nd-and-8 from their own 41-yard line. Donald broke through the Vikings' offensive line and slammed quarterback Kirk Cousins to the ground for a loss of 10 yards.
Donald's sack came at a critical point in the game, immediately following a Rams scoring drive which put L.A. up by 10 to start the fourth quarter.
Later in the period, Donald got to Cousins once again on what would be the Minnesota's final possession.
The Vikings were down just a touchdown and facing 1st-and-10 from their own 34 yard line — the start of what could have been the game-tying drive.
Donald burst across the line of scrimmage and threw cousins to the Coliseum's turf for a loss of eight. Donald's second sack was the beginning of the end for Cousins and the Vikings. Their final drive of the game ended with a fumble three plays later.
