A win on Sunday would have moved the Rams to 8-2, keeping them no more than one game back of the Eagles in the NFC. It would have been a huge step for a team looking to end a 12-year playoff drought, but that’s not the way it happened.

The Rams fell to the Vikings 24-7, moving their record to 7-3, which is still a great mark for a team that won four games last season. The loss is obviously disappointing, but there’s plenty for the Rams to learn from it.

Andrew Whitworth put it best after the game, saying the Rams needed a game like this after steamrolling their last three opponents.

“It’s frustrating, but the reality is, we needed adversity,” Whitworth told Rich Hammond of the OC Register. “It’s not to say that we didn’t need to come back and win that game, but when you’re on the road in a really hard place to play, against one of the best defenses in the league, to play the kind of game we were in, and for this team to be in the game, I think it shows you that we’re legit and we’re the real deal.”

The Rams had been tested a few times earlier in the season but not in a game like this. Playing at home against the Seahawks, or on the road against the Cowboys isn’t nearly as difficult as going to Minnesota to take on the 7-2 Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The crowd was raucous, the offense had to use the silent count and Minnesota’s defense was absolutely dominant up front and in the secondary. The Vikings are a complete team offensively and defensively, even with Case Keenum at quarterback.

Minnesota is probably going to make the playoffs, which means this is the type of team the Rams will play if they also make it to the postseason.

“If we get this opportunity in the playoffs, and get a chance to get in, then we’ll be prepared for it. those are the kind of games you’re going to play,” Whitworth continued. “This is the atmosphere you’re going to have to learn how to play and win in.”