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Who plays Thursday Night Football? Game, Week 8 start time

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Who plays Thursday Night Football? Game, Week 8 start time

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The “Thursday Night Football” schedule has been full of divisional games. However, Week 8 features an exciting NFC matchup.

The Minnesota Vikings will meet the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8 at SoFi Stadium.

Minnesota is off to a terrific 5-1 start and sits in second place in the NFC North standings, while the Rams enter the game at 2-4, struggling to stay in contention. The Rams dealt with a lot of injuries early on, but will be back on the field tonight with star wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

Here’s everything you need to know about the “Thursday Night Football” matchup for Week 8.

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Who is playing ‘Thursday Night Football’ tonight?

  • mating: Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams
  • location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

The Vikings head to the West Coast on Thursday night to take on the Rams.

How to watch Thursday Night Football

  • Live broadcast: Amazon Prime Video

“Thursday Night Football” will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color commentary) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) will be on call for the Amazon broadcast.

Watch “Thursday Night Football” with a Prime Video subscription

Thursday Night Football preview

The Vikings came out of the gates strong, winning five straight games to start the season, with Sunday’s 31-29 loss to the Lions their first of 2024. However, Minnesota was in position to win the game, leading 29- 28 with 4. :16 left in the fourth quarter. The offense went three-and-out in their own territory and went to Detroit with 2:41 left on the clock. The Lions marched down the field and kicked the field goal with 15 seconds left.

The The Vikings running game, led by Aaron Jones, will look to continue producingbelt on the ground However, the standout player in Minnesota’s offense is quarterback Sam Darnold: The 2018 No. 3 overall pick has excelled in coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense, throwing for 12 touchdowns to five interceptions in 2024.

Darnold entered the season as the presumed veteran bridge quarterback for rookie first-round pick JJ McCarthy. Unfortunately, McCarthy was ruled out for the season after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus before the season started. As a starter, Darnold has a passer rating of 104, seventh-best in the NFL entering Week 8, significantly improving from his average passer rating of 78.3. The latter would rank 32nd among qualified passers this season.

Also helping the Vikings offense is their defense: coached by Brian Flores, they rank first in defensive DVOA in FTN entering Week 8.

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That said, the Rams will be hungry for another win after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 20-15 in Week 7.

The Rams’ typically potent offense has struggled with injuries in 2024. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua have both been battling injuries, but the veteran Kupp is ready to start Thursday night. The Rams’ offense has struggled without their dynamic duo expanding, as both are keys to how Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford function in the passing game.

Kupp has been sidelined since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2 and will provide a much-needed boost to the team ranked 17th in the league in offensive DVOA. Stafford completed 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards and a touchdown with an interception in Week 1 with Kupp healthy.

The Rams’ toughest task Thursday night will be slowing down one of the league’s best wide receivers, Justin Jefferson. Los Angeles’ defense ranks 28th in defensive DVOA entering Week 8.

The Vikings are off to a great start, but the Rams are struggling to establish themselves as contenders in a wide-open NFC West. Stafford vs. the blitz will be the key matchup to watch on “TNF.” Minnesota’s rushing attack against the veteran quarterback could disrupt the Rams’ passing game, especially with Kupp getting his legs under him again on his return.

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