Vikings at Rams -- Week 15
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Mo. (turf, indoors)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Spread: Rams by 3
Records: Vikings (7-6; NFC North 3-2); Rams (6-6-1, NFC West 4-0-1)
Past results: Two most recent meetings -- Oct. 11, 2009: Vikings 38, Rams 10; Dec. 31, 2006: Rams 41, Vikings 21. Series record: Vikings lead 23-16-2.
What matters: This is basically an NFC wild-card elimination game. The Rams have won three straight thanks to a tremendous defense (14 points per game) and an offense that seems to wake up when it matters most. St. Louis has four offensive TDs in the streak.
Who matters: Led by rapidly improving DT Michael Brockers, the Rams’ run defense has been outstanding lately. They have not let an opposing back gain more than 65 yards in four straight games. In last week’s 15-12 win in Buffalo, St. Louis held the Bills’ sixth-ranked ground game to 61 yards. Now the Rams must deal with NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson. He’s run for 1,600 yards and 10 TDs while averaging an eye-popping six yards per carry.
Key matchups: LT Rodger Saffold will be tasked with keeping DE Jared Allen off QB Sam Bradford. Allen has nine sacks, a subpar season for him. But his 114 sacks over nine years trail only Reggie White for the most sacks in the first nine seasons of a career. When these teams played in 2009, Allen returned a fumble 52 yards for a score.
“He’s got a great first step,” Rams OC Brian Schottenheimer said. “He’s long, he’s relentless, he just plays extremely, extremely hard. He’s been doing it for a long time and he’s very smart, very instinctive…just a relentless pass rusher.”
Injuries of note: After playing just seven snaps in the last three games, WR Danny Amendola (heel) practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday and turned in a full practice Friday. He's probable.
S Craig Dahl (concussion) was cleared after league-mandated testing and returned to full practices.
CB Cortland Finnegan (ankle) and MLB James Laurinaitis (back) did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, but coaches could merely be resting them. Finnegan has missed three games in his seven-year career, and Laurinaitis has missed none in his four seasons.
Inside stuff: Peterson leads the NFL with five runs of 50-plus yards, and with 846 yards after initial contact. … Coach Jeff Fisher says the key to beating Minnesota is to keep Peterson on the bench. But the Rams rank 22nd in time of possession. …Laurinaitis is the only NFC player with at least 8.5 sacks and six interceptions since 2009.
Connections: Vikings DL coach Brendan Daly held the same position with the Rams from 2009-11.
Stats you should know: Seven of Bradford’s 15 TD passes have come in the fourth quarter. … The Rams have trailed at halftime in each victory during their three-game win streak. … Rookie WR Chris Givens has passed Amendola for the team lead in receiving yards (584 to 576). Amendola has 51 catches to Givens’ 36. … Vikings QB Christian Ponder has failed to throw for 100 yards three times, and he’s averaging just 5.98 yards per attempt.
Record watch: RB Steven Jackson needs 71 yards to become the 27th player in NFL history with 10,000 rushing yards. He needs 164 yards to notch his eighth straight 1,000-yard rushing season. Only six other backs have reached that milestone. … Rookie K Greg Zuerlein has seven FGs of 50-plus yards and needs one more to tie the single-season record.
Looking ahead: The Rams finish with road games at Tampa Bay and Seattle, where the Seahawks are nearly impossible to beat. The Bucs, Seahawks and Rams are all part of the crowded NFC playoff race.
Prediction: Rams 23, Vikings 20
Get more Rams updates and analysis from Larry Hartstein on Twitter @CBSRams.