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It’s been a nightmare first half for the Minnesota Vikings as the Los Angeles Rams are dominating their Wild Card round matchup. The Rams came out swinging despite the game moving from LA to Arizona due to wildfires in Southern California. Los Angeles built a 24-3 lead at the half with a little help from rookie linebacker Jared Verse.
Sam Darnold was sacked six times in the first half and one of those take downs, by Ahkello Witherspoon, resulted in a fumble. Verse was in the right spot at the right time to scoop up the fumble and return it 57 yards for a touchdown – giving the Rams a 17-3 lead with under five minutes remaining in the second quarter.
JARED VERSE SCOOP & SCORE OFF THE DARNOLD FUMBLE
Hit the Superman dive into the end zone #MINvsLAR | ABC, ESPN, ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bH07aTqmjW
— ESPN (@espn) January 14, 2025
Verse is the clear Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner after he was selected 19th overall by the Rams in the 2024 draft. He racked up 66 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended during the regular season. Now he’s added a playoff fumble recovery and touchdown to his impressive resume.
Verse has come up big for the Rams all season. Back in Week 10 he drew praise for an incredible move against Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Verse sacked Tua, forced the fumble and recovered the ball all in one play.
The Vikings were 1.5 point favorites in this Wild Card matchup after winning 14 games during the regular season. But Darnold has struggled mightily against the Rams’ defense. The veteran passer has 128 yards and two turnovers along with those six sacks in the first half of Monday night’s matchup.
After the Vikings were dispatched by the Detroit Lions in Week 18, Dan Campbell told Kevin O’Connell “I’ll see you in two weeks.” The Rams felt disrespected by Campbell’s statement and used it as motivation for their game against Minnesota.
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