GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — In a playoff game moved from SoFi Stadium because of the Southern California wildfires, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 on Monday night to advance to the divisional round.

It was an impressive performance for a young defense that has taken a big step forward since the start of the season, which included a 41-10 win at State Farm Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2.

But on Monday night, the Rams got to Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold early and often, and Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Jared Verse recovered a fumble and scored a touchdown to give Los Angeles a 17-3 second-quarter lead to take the lead.

Darnold totaled nine sacks on the night — tying an NFL playoff record — and Minnesota’s offense couldn’t gain much momentum.

The Rams’ playoff victory – their first since winning Super Bowl LVI in the 2021 season – came as players and coaches wore Los Angeles Fire Department hats and shirts on the sidelines to honor the first responders who responded to the fires in Los Angeles Angeles fought.

Next up is the divisional round of the playoffs, with the Rams traveling to Philadelphia to play the Eagles on Sunday.

Here are the key things to know for both teams:

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QB distribution: Matthew Stafford completed 19 of 27 passes for 209 yards with two touchdowns and was sacked twice. He completed 12 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns to running backs and tight ends. That’s his most yards and passing touchdowns in a game this season, according to ESPN Research.

Most surprising performance: The Rams’ hot start on offense. According to ESPN Research, Los Angeles has struggled to score early all season, but that wasn’t the case Monday night as the Rams scored a touchdown on their first drive for just the third time this season. It was a seven-play, 70-yard drive. Stafford went 6-for-6 for 64 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to running back Kyren Williams.

Key game: Early in the second quarter, Stafford was hit by Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard. The game was initially ruled a Vikings fumble and touchdown after Blake Cashman’s scoop and score. That would have tied the game at 10 up to an extra point, but the decision was overturned on an incomplete pass and the Rams kept the ball.

Describe the game in two words: Sack attack. The Rams sacked Darnold nine times, tying an NFL playoff record. Darnold was sacked six times in the first half, the most of any half in any game of his career. According to ESPN Research, Washington was the last team with six sacks in the first half of a playoff game in the NFC Championship Game in January 1988 against Minnesota. — Sarah Barshop

Next game: on Eagles (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET)

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The Vikings’ dream season failed in the last – and most important – two games of the year. Now they have the offseason to figure out why — and what they can do about it.

At the center of the discussion is Darnold, who had a poor performance for the second straight season after seemingly reviving his career in a magical regular season. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he struggled to make decisions in the pocket on Monday night and ended up recording six sacks in the first half alone after holding the ball for an average of 4.52 seconds on those dropbacks. He lost a fumble on one of those sacks, which Rams linebacker Jared Verse returned for a touchdown, and also threw an interception in the first half.

That outing came a week after he completed just 18 of 41 passes in a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18, a game in which he failed on at least three potential touchdown opportunities.

Darnold threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns during the regular season, leading the Vikings to consider whether to bring him back next season and delay rookie JJ McCarthy’s coronation. But the final two games of this season could make that discussion moot.

Amazing statistics: As a testament to Darnold’s – and the rest of the offense’s – struggles, the Vikings went 21 straight drives without a touchdown before tight end TJ Hockenson scored on a 26-yard reception in the third quarter. The streak, dating back to a win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, was the longest since coach Kevin O’Connell arrived at the start of the 2022 season.

Most surprising performance: O’Connell’s lack of adjustments. He has expressed great confidence in Darnold throughout the season and said again last week that he was confident Darnold would bounce back from his performance in Detroit. But O’Connell didn’t have any significant adjustments on hand should Darnold come up short. He made Daniel Jones his No. 3 quarterback, meaning he was ineligible to replace Darnold for performance reasons, and O’Connell continued to call pass plays, which Darnold faced in the face of a Rams pass rush that resulted in six of the nine pressure sacks recorded, leaving exhausted coming into the first half.

Biggest gap in the game plan: After failing to put Stafford under much pressure in the regular season game, the Vikings overwhelmed him on four of his first six dropbacks during the game’s first possession on Monday night. It didn’t work. Stafford handled those blitzes and led the Rams to a touchdown drive that set the tone for the entire game. – Kevin Seifert