Rams even grisly NFL playoff record in emotional upset of Vikings

The Los Angeles Rams walked into State Farm Stadium with a heavy heart. They later put their hearts into the pressure on Sam Darnold, tying an NFL playoff record in the process against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Rams changed their postseason plans due to the devastating Pacific Palisades and Altadena fires. They conveyed the emotions of the terrible fires in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams went on to grab not one or two, but a total of nine sacks to lead a 27-9 Viking rout.

Total creepy sack now making some playoff history for the LA Rams matched the stunning 2021 season total the Tennessee Titans piled on the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow was beaten as many times. But the Rams ended up seeing Barro and the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, as the Bengals escaped 19-16 in Nashville during that AFC division contest.

This time the team with nine sacks won. And the Rams pulled it off while carrying a devastated Southern California on their backs.

Who became responsible for the Rams’ new NFL playoff record?

A rare Rams party started at 9:42 of the first quarter. Edge rusher Brion Young broke the long arm technique to make the No. 1 sack.

Young wasn’t the only Rams defender to put his name on the first quarter list. Inside linebacker Kobie Turner broke through the middle of the Vikings’ offensive line to pick up his first sack of the night.

Even Chris Shula trusted his cornerbacks to finish off Darnold. The defensive coordinator sent Kobe Durant on the flash from the corner for bag no. 3 that ate up 12 yards. Fellow CB Ahkelo Witherspoon fumbled next on the NFL Player of the Year candidate, forcing a fumble on third-and-seven. Jared Verse turned it into a 57-yard field goal.

Young, Turner and Neville Gallimore ended the first half by throwing Darnold to the grass. The Rams racked up six sacks in the first half to threaten the Titans’ mark from ’21.

LA watched multiple defensive players join the firing squad: Michael Hoecht, Dejaun Johnson and Braden Fiske. They went after KB, who had 48 sacks in the regular season. But he gave Darnold his worst night in pass protection in a stellar 2024 season.

The Rams may have forcibly changed the landscape due to the mix of Mother Nature and smoke in the air. But LA never wavered from changing its approach on offense. They entered the place of rivals with home in mind. The NFC West champions are leaving by making postseason history — and uniting their city.