Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Rams: Thursday Night NFL live on Sky Sports

Week Four in the NFL opens with a potential playoff preview between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Action and Main Event from 12.30am. Here's what you can expect...

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Form guide

Two NFC contenders clash in Los Angeles, coming into the contest with contrasting form. The Rams (3-0) have dominated, as expected, on their way to a 3-0 start, trouncing the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals before then getting the better of their LA rival Chargers in a somewhat closer contest in Week Three.

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The Vikings (1-1-1), meanwhile, looked a quality outfit on opening weekend with a handy win over the San Francisco 49ers, but have stuttered since, tying with the Green Bay Packers and then suffering arguably the shock of the season already when hammered 27-6 by the Buffalo Bills last weekend.

Minnesota can at least be encouraged by the Week 11 meeting between these teams last year, when the Vikings came out on top 24-7 behind a stifling defensive performance, holding Rams star running back Todd Gurley to a season-low 37 rushing yards.

Early test of Minnesota's mettle

Playoff football as early as Week Four as NFC contenders the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams face-off on Thursday Night Football.

Stat Attack

A look at the quarterbacks. Kirk Cousins currently ranks fourth in the NFL with 965 passing yards, the most by a Vikings QB through the team's first three games of a season in franchise history. As for the Rams, Jared Goff has returned 350+ passing yards and a 75 (or higher) completion percentage in consecutive games - he is only the third quarterback in NFL history to do that in back-to-back games.

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Key battle

Cousins versus Rams defense: Cousins had a horror outing against the Bills in Week Three, throwing an interception and losing two fumbles. He was also sacked four times, worrying given that he faces an intimidating Rams front of Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers. If the Minnesota offensive line can protect him from those monsters, Cousins could take an advantage of a weakened Rams secondary which is without Aqib Talib and, possibly, Marcus Peters too to injury.

Ones to watch

If Cousins can escape pressure, he has about as good a set of receivers in the league to target in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Minnesota are also hopeful of getting running back Dalvin Cook back after he sat out the Week Three shellacking by Buffalo with a hamstring injury.

As for the Rams, Gurley is the main man and, having struggled against the Vikings D last year, will be keen to make amends in this meeting. Not to say LA are overly reliant on the runner, as Goff has started this season just as impressively as the last, with his best showing coming in the win over the Chargers last week - 80.6 per cent completion rate, 354 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception, for a 123.8 passer rating.

Watch the Minnesota Vikings at the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Action from 12.30am on Friday morning.

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