Rand: Little things made big difference in Vikings' victory

The biggest plays in Sunday's Vikings game made the pressed-for-time recaps on highlight shows. Josh Robinson's interception, Cordarrelle Patterson's big run and Harrison Smith's clinching pick-six either led to touchdowns or were touchdowns themselves. Points win games. It's not that hard.

What I am often fascinated by, though, are the smaller plays within a game that cause subtle shifts. Believe it or not, even in a 34-6 Vikings victory over the Rams, there were a handful of those plays on Sunday. Here is what I'm talking about:

1. A big three-play sequence toward the end of the first quarter: The Rams, trailing 3-0, had moved the ball from their own 27-yard line to the Vikings 39, where they faced second-and-8. They had a potentially nice screen pass set up, but running back Zac Stacy dropped it. Instead of possibly having a first down inside the Vikings 30, it was third-and-8. Next play, Brian Quick ran a sideline route one yard too short, leading to a completion but a fourth-and-1. From there, the Rams elected to try a long field goal instead of going for it. It was wide left, the Vikings took over at the 40 and used the short field to drive just far enough for another long field goal. Instead of 3-3 or possibly 7-3 Rams if that sequence played out differently, it was 6-0 Vikings.

2. With the Vikings still ahead 6-0 midway through the second quarter, the Rams killed a promising drive with two penalties — a facemask penalty on a wide receiver and offensive pass interference, two calls that are rarely seen. That drive easily could have resulted in points and a new outlook for St. Louis.

3. Still 6-0, late in the half, the Vikings punted and Andrew Sendejo made what might have been a touchdown-saving open-field tackle on the return by Tavon Austin, who had a head of steam and blockers ahead. Instead, two plays later, Robinson's huge interception led to a nice TD grab by Greg Jennings to take a 13-0 halftime lead.

Knowing what we know about how the rest of the game unfolded, it's hard to say whether any of those sequences would have altered the final outcome of a Vikings victory. The Vikings were the better team in every facet of the game and ultimately made several more big plays that could have swung the game even if the first half had played out differently.