'TNF' takeaways: Returning WRs star in Rams' victory, Vikings done in by mistakes, late non-call

Is Rams DE Jared Verse the runaway favorite for DROY?

The 2024 No. 19 pick continued to make his case for the honor in Thursday's victory. Verse wreaked havoc on the Vikings' offensive line and quarterback Sam Darnold, finishing the game with six pressures, three hurries and 1.5 sacks.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the Rams nursing an eight-point lead, he helped seal the win, teaming up with Michael Hoecht to take down Darnold on second and eight from the Minnesota 44-yard line. The Vikings punted a play later, denying what would be their best chance at tying the game.

Entering Week 8, Verse had already impressed league-wide, ranked ninth in hurries and sixth in total pressures as a rookie. It's still early, but following Thursday's primetime performance, he may have the NFC DROY award all but wrapped up.  

Officials screwed over the Vikings late

The Vikings made plenty of mistakes and self-inflicted wounds in Thursday's loss. For instance, failing to kneel at the end of the first half resulted in a likely preventable knee injury to lineman Christian Darrisaw while committing nine penalties, several of which kept the Rams' scoring drives alive.

But, with time remaining to eke out a victory over the Rams, Minnesota was done in by the mother of non-calls.

With the Vikings trailing by eight, 28-20, with 1:36 to go, Rams defensive end Byron Young took down quarterback Sam Darnold in the endzone for what appeared to be a safety. But replays showed Young had taken Darnold down by the facemask, but with no flag thrown and the playing being unreviewable, Minnesota was left to shrug its collective shoulders.

The Vikings certainly didn't help their own cause, but to be robbed of an opportunity late because of a blatant missed call is tough to swallow for a team that's dropped two in a row after being 5-0 less than a week ago.

In 2024, there has to be a better way. The play being reversible doesn't guarantee that the Vikings drive down the field for the game-tying score, but it would've offered a better and more fair result.