There are two home games left on the Vikings' schedule next month. There could be more games played at U.S. Bank Stadium in January, as the distance gets shorter between the Vikings and the distinction of being the first team to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium.
As much as ever on Sunday, the Vikings looked capable of finishing that journey.
Their 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams, in a matchup of two of the three teams tied for the second-best record in the NFC, saw the Vikings assert themselves as legitimate contenders in the conference as they begin their most difficult road stretch of the season.
The win helped them maintain a two-game lead in the NFC North over the Detroit Lions (whom the Vikings will face at Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day). The Vikings are one of three teams in the NFC with eight wins, with the Philadelphia Eagles set to play in Dallas on Sunday night.
Played before a vociferous crowd of 66,809 at U.S. Bank Stadium, the game felt as close to a playoff matchup as anything Vikings fans have witnessed in the building's 15 months of hosting football games.
Their defense held the Rams' top-ranked offense _ which had posted 117 points the past three games _ to seven points and less than 200 yards in the first 50 minutes of the game. Running back Todd Gurley managed just 37 yards on 15 carries, with none of his runs covering more than eight yards, and the Vikings kept the Rams from finding the running back on the short throws they've used to great effect this season.
Vikings receiver Adam Thielen looked back and smiled as he headed for the end zone on a 65 pass play for a fourth quarter touchdown.
When the Rams threatened to take a 14-7 lead at the end of the first half, safety Anthony Harris ripped the ball from Cooper Kupp's hands a yard from the goal line, recovering the fumble he forced and denying Los Angeles a chance to go into halftime up a touchdown.
And against his former team, Case Keenum was efficient enough to keep the Vikings' offense moving. He avoided a big mistake on a couple of throws that could have been intercepted. Keenum hit 27 of his 38 passes for 280 yards, with 65 of them coming on one play as Adam Thielen turned a short throw into the score that put the Rams away.
The Vikings' run game, which came into the day ranked 10th in the league, gained 172 yards and helped drain the Rams of timeouts with a six-minute drive in the fourth quarter.
