Kirk Cousins was an eager young quarterback and Sean McVay was a precocious

offensive coordinator when they got together in Washington.After they collaborated on two tremendously productive seasons Limited Josh Reynolds Jersey , the partnership led to big things for both men: McVay became the NFL's youngest head coach in Los Angeles, and Cousins got an $84 million contract in Minnesota."I'm very grateful for having crossed paths with him," Cousins said. "And I'm always rooting for him. But certainly, though, we want to get the 'W' this week."Indeed, they're getting back together Thursday night in a compelling early season NFC showdown between McVay's Rams (3-0) and Cousins' Vikings (1-1-1).And both say they wouldn't be there under the Coliseum lights without the other."I feel fortunate to have worked with Kirk," McVay said."Sometimes you hear people talk about not having the strongest arm or whatever, (but) I'm not sure what film they're watching Samson Ebukam Jersey ," McVay added."He can make every single throw. I think he has the ability to speed it up with excellent twitch. He can change the launch point. So you're not limited in any way that you can utilize him. And I couldn't be happier for Kirk, and I'll be rooting for him the rest of the year after Thursday night."Their meeting will be an interesting barometer for both teams' early season fortunes.The Rams have been largely outstanding during their unbeaten start to a season that has picked up right where McVay's first team left off.But coach Mike Zimmer's Vikings defense gave perhaps the most impressive performance of last season against the high-octane Rams, who managed only one early touchdown from Todd Gurley in a 24-7 loss at Minnesota."We didn't run the ball as well as we had in other games against this defense," said Aaron Kromer, the Rams' running game coordinator. "They're a stout defense. They're built to stop the run. That's their No. 1 goal. ... We have to do a much better job. I think we're a lot smarter football team than we were in the past, so I hope that shows on Thursday night."More things to watch:WEEKNIGHT PARTYThe Rams realize Thursday afternoon isn't an ideal time to brave LA traffic for a football game at a stadium undergoing renovation that has severely curtailed its parking and tailgating.So they're trying to make this important NFC game into a civic duty: McVay sent out a funny "memo" through newspapers and social media to all employers in Los Angeles, urging them to allow their employees to leave work early so they can head downtown for the 5:20 p.m. local start time — which he says is the "typical bedtime" of his 71-year-old defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips. They also got Vanessa Hudgens to sing the national anthem Ndamukong Suh Jersey Salute to Service , while Compton rapper YG will perform in the second quarter.EARLY DEPARTUREThe Vikings flew to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, hoping to better acclimate to the two-time-zone change. The Vikings are 1-5 in Thursday night road games, winning only at Dallas in 1978. Traveling cross-country to play one of the NFL's best teams with three days of rest is a daunting task."Yeah, it's a problem," coach Mike Zimmer said. "We haven't had a home game on a short week since I've been here in five years. But you play the schedule how it is."NOT A FANThe Rams are also unenthused about their short-week schedule, although they're grateful they got to stay home for it. McVay joked that he's running on "maybe two" hours of sleep per night. Last weekend, Gurley summed up many players' feelings about Thursday football: "It's the dumbest thing ever."GOING WITHOUT GRIFFENThe Vikings will play without defensive end Everson Griffen, a captain and three-time Pro Bowl pick. The former USC star won't make his Coliseum return while he is sidelined indefinitely for treatment of mental illness following a pattern of erratic and threatening behavior. With players John Franklin-Myers Jersey , coaches and staff concerned about Griffen's well-being, the show must go on. Stephen Weatherly had his first career sack against the Bills while starting in place of Griffen.INJURED CORNERSThe Rams have bigger problems than a late start time: Their star-studded defense is suddenly short-handed after former Pro Bowl cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters both incurred injuries in last week's win over the Chargers.Talib needs ankle surgery and will be out for at least eight weeks. Peters' calf injury isn't so serious, but still might keep him out. The Rams are likely to go against Cousins with backup cornerbacks including Sam Shields, Troy Hill and Nickell Robey-Coleman."I feel like we're going to be great," Robey-Coleman said. "I can't take away from the hard work that every guy on this depth chart put in to get an opportunity to get on the field."SLOW STARTAfter ranking seventh in the NFL last season in yards rushing, the Vikings are next-to-last with just 66 yards per game, although they've been throwing excessively with two late deficits in their first three games. There still hasn't been much room for Dalvin Cook or Latavius Murray to run, and going against the Rams' stout defensive line won't help. Pat Elflein will return to the starting lineup at center Authentic Joseph Noteboom Jersey , his rehab from offseason surgeries finally complete."We're not in panic mode. We're not in that," said Cook, who is expected to play after sitting out last week's loss to Buffalo. "We're going to get this thing going. It's just a matter of time."AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report. The Los Angeles Rams travel to take on the Denver Broncos in the Mile High City. The Rams escaped a tough divisional matchup with the Seattle Seahawks while the Broncos got embarrassed by the New York Jets. The Broncos enter with a 2-3 record with great talent on both sides of the ball. Here are some of the key players looking to prevent the Rams from going on to 6-0.EDGE Von MillerPerhaps the player Grandpa Wade misses most, Von Miller continues to show why he is a dominant force in his 8th season. Miller has 14 total tackles with four sacks and two forced fumbles. A havock off the edge, Tackles Rob Havenstein and Andrew Whitworth will have their hands full.QB Case KeenumThe Broncos wanted to desperately improve their quarterback situation and went out to get Keenum. A former Ram who was “top 10 in some metrics” according to Rams GM Les Snead, Keenum has had a rough start to the season with more interceptions than touchdowns and a rough QBR of 33.2 (50 is league average). Keenum does have a respectable 63.5 completion percentage but also has three fumbles to go with his seven interceptions. After a rough showing against Seattle, the Rams secondary will try to get back on track and limit Keenum.RB Phillip LindsayWhen the Broncos used a draft pick on RB Royce Freeman from Oregon, many expected him to lead the team in rushing. Instead Limited Brian Allen Jersey , the emergence of undrafted local free agent Phillip Lindsay has created a two-back system. Lindsay actually leads the Broncos in rushing attempts (57) and yards (328) along with a strong 5.8 yards per carry average. Lindsay also is a bit more of a pass catching threat with eight receptions for the season. After the Rams let Seattle RBs run roughshod on them, the front seven wants to show that last week was a fluke.ILB Todd DavisA favorite of TST, ILB Todd Davis leads the Broncos in tackles with 34 total tackles. Davis also has half a sack while helping lock down the middle of the defense with Pro Bowl LB Brandon Marshall. Davis has been dealing with a shoulder injury but is expected to try and slow the potent Rams offense down.WR Emmanuel SandersAfter a tough season in 2017 with subpar quarterbacks throwing to him, Sanders is off to a much better start in 2018 with 33 receptions for 386 yards. Sanders continues to be reliable for the Broncos and hopes to get back to 1,000 yards receiving after failing to do so last season. Sanders is chomping at the bit to take on Rams CBs Troy Hill and less than 100% Marcus Peters.