Vikings confidence booster? Rams hot streak is loaded with warts

The Rams appear to be a dangerous team, but they've been winning ugly for a long time.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws an incomplete pass against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Just how good are the Los Angeles Rams? At 10-7, they won the NFC West, but when taking a microscope to their season, it's not all sunshine and rainbows.

The Rams averaged just 14.6 points in Weeks 15-17 before resting starters in Week 18. And they've faced a dangerous offense like the Vikings just twice in the last two months — games against the Eagles and Bills, who scored a combined 79 points in those games.

During L.A.'s 9-3 finish over the final 13 weeks of the regular season, they defeated the Raiders, Vikings, Seahawks, Patriots, Saints, Bills, 49ers, Jets and Cardinals. All of those wins were loaded with warts that should give Vikings fans plenty of confidence heading into Monday night's playoff game.

Rams-Raiders

The final score was 20-15. It's a rather woeful point total considering the Rams forced four turnovers. What's more is that Matthew Stafford passed for only 154 yards. Keep in mind that the Rams played the majority of the game against backup quarterback Gardner Minshew after Aidan O'Connell suffered an injury. It was also the Raiders' first game after trading Davante Adams to the Jets.

Rams-Vikings

The Rams won 28-20 and there's no doubt that Stafford looked awesome throwing the ball to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. But keep in mind that Nacua's 21-day practice window was opened that same day and the Vikings were not prepared for his presence on the field. The Thursday night game followed Minnesota's intense game four days earlier against the Lions, and the Vikings were without star linebacker Blake Cashman.

Rams-Seahawks

Give the Rams credit for going into Seattle and winning 26-20 in overtime, but this one isn't without some warts. Seattle drove to the Rams 16 on the first possession of overtime and they went for it on fourth-and-1 instead of kicking a field goal and they were stuffed. It's also noteworthy that Seattle played without DK Metcalf.

Rams-Patriots

Stafford lit up the Patriots, hitting Kupp for two touchdowns and Nacua for another. But barely beating the Patriots is nothing to brag about, especially considering the Patriots had the ball with a chance to drive for the winning score with under two minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Rams-Saints

This was an ugly game and the Rams needed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win 21-14. The Saints settled for three field goals after driving the ball well in the first half and New Orleans had the ball inside the Rams 10 late in the fourth quarter before turning the ball over on downs.

Rams-Bills

Fueled by a blocked punt return for a touchdown, the Rams were crushing the Bills 38-21 entering the fourth quarter. Then Josh Allen took over, leading the Bills to 21 fourth-quarter points. It wasn't enough as Stafford hit Nacua for a key touchdown with 1:54 to play in the game, giving the Rams a 9-point cushion. L.A.'s offense was great in this one, but the defense was horrid. Still, this was a great win for the Rams.

Rams-49ers

Another weird Thursday night game, this one had the Rams beat the Niners 12-6 in the rain. The 49ers led 6-3 before the Rams kicked three field goals in the fourth quarter.

Rams-Jets

A 19-9 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium is good, but the Rams offense was once again putrid as Stafford threw for 110 yards even though he had Nacua and Kupp on the field. The Rams had six points through three quarters and needed 13 points in the final 12 minutes to pull away. It's also noteworthy that the Jets were without star defensive lineman Quinnen Williams (hamstring) and cornerback Sauce Gardner missed the second half with an injury.

Rams-Cardinals

Kyler Murray had the Cardinals within yards of taking the lead with under a minute to play in this one, but a deflected pass was intercepted by the Rams in the end zone with 37 seconds remaining to secure a 13-9 win. The Cardinals managed to score only three points despite three drives into Rams territory in the fourth quarter.