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SPORTS Saturday 29 September 2018

Rams - Vikings 38-31

the Coliseum, where he Trae Waynes, who missed
starred for USC. Griffen said the second half with a con-
he doesn’t know exactly cussion. Rams: TE Tyler Hig-
when he’ll be back in uni- bee injured his knee early
form, but he plans to “re- on. He returned later in the
turn as a much-improved first half. ... CB Marcus Pe-
person and player.” ters played after injuring his
INJURY REPORT calf last week.
Vikings: RB Dalvin Cook UP NEXT
had 20 yards on 10 carries Vikings: At the Philadelphia
after missing last week’s Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 7.
game with a hamstring Rams: At the Seattle Se-
injury. ... Goff’s third and ahawks on Sunday, Oct.
fourth TD throws beat CB 7.q

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp catches. touchdown pass during the first half in an
NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018, in Los Angeles.
Associated Press
Continued from Page 17 defensive lineman John “We did not play well de-
Franklin-Myers strip-sacked fensively,” Vikings coach
And it was still just barely Cousins near midfield with Mike Zimmer said. “Of-
enough to beat Kirk Cous- 1:18 to play. fensively we moved the
ins and the Minnesota Vi- “It’s fun for us, personally,” ball well, but we had too
kings. Goff said of his duel with many missed tackles, and
Goff passed for career Cousins. “I don’t know if too many people were left
highs of 465 yards and it’s fun for the whole team, wide open. I’ve not ever
five touchdowns, winning but it’s cool. Kirk is a guy had a team that’s been
a scintillating duel with his we watched on film forever this poor in pass coverage.
Minnesota counterpart last year. Got a lot of re- We are going to have to
and leading unbeaten Los spect for him and the way look at everything.”
Angeles to a 38-31 victory he plays, and I just think A healthy throng of purple-
Thursday night. he’s such a great quarter- clad fans turned out for the
Goff hit Kupp with two of back. To get a chance to Vikings’ first game in Los
his four TD throws during a go against him like that Angeles since 1993. They
251-yard first half in which and kind of duke it out, I saw a show from Cousins,
the third-year quarterback told him after the game who hit Aldrick Robinson for
flawlessly executed the of- how much I appreciated two first-half scores.
fense created by McVay. the battle with him.” Goff found Kupp with two
Goff finished 26 of 33 with Todd Gurley finished with beautiful TD throws in the
a perfect 158.3 passer rat- 83 yards rushing and 73 first half, the first hitting
ing for the Rams (4-0), who yards receiving for the Kupp in stride on that 70-
won their third home game Rams. Gurley and Bran- yard sprint , and the sec-
in 12 days. din Cooks had first-half TD ond eluding two Vikings
“It was just great com- catches, but the Vikings and dropping into Kupp’s
mand by him,” McVay trimmed LA’s lead to 31-28 hands deep in the end
said. “I think he’s having late in the third quarter with zone. Less than 2 1/2 min-
fun. No moment is too big Adam Thielen’s 45-yard TD utes later, Goff hit Cooks
for him, and it gives you catch and a 2-point con- down the middle for a 47-
confidence when you see version. yard score. Goff’s four TD
him playing like this.” Goff promptly surpassed passes were the most in a
But McVay then had to his previous career highs first half by a Rams quarter-
watch apprehensively for yards passing during a back since Kurt Warner did
while his former prize pupil swift drive ending in Robert it in 1999.
nearly executed a come- Woods’ 31-yard TD catch, GRIFFEN OUT
back for the Vikings (1-2-1). and the Rams’ defense Minnesota defensive end
McVay was Cousins’ offen- hung on while the offense Everson Griffen posted a
sive coordinator in Wash- went scoreless in the fourth message on Instagram ex-
ington before he became quarter. pressing his gratitude for
Goff’s head coach on the One week after giving up support from his team and
West Coast last season. 27 points in the first half and family. Griffen has been
Cousins passed for 422 getting blown out as 16 away from the Vikings
yards and three touch- 1/2-point favorites in Buf- while undergoing a men-
downs, but the Vikings lost falo, the Vikings gave up 28 tal health evaluation, and
when Los Angeles rookie before halftime against LA. he didn’t get to return to