Los Angeles Rams vs Minnesota Vikings Matchup

Keep reading to see our NFL Wild Card round Vikings vs Rams pick and preview. In this article we will outline who will come away with the win and cover the spread.

ABC will televise the Vikings vs. Rams wild card round playoff game on Monday, January 13th at 8:00 ET. The game, played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, has the Vikings favored on the road with a money line of -134. The Rams' money line odds are +113, and the Vikings are -2.5 point favorites. The over/under line is set at 47 points.

Vikings vs. Rams Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NFL
Teams: Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams
Where: Inglewood at SoFi Stadium
Date: Monday, January 13th
Betting Odds MIN -2.5, MIN -134 | LAR +113 O/U 47

Vikings Preview:

After finishing the regular season 14-3, the Vikings will head to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in the Wild Card round. Minnesota ended the year with three straight wins, including a 28-6 victory over the Giants in week 1. The Vikings were 1-point favorites in that game and easily covered the spread. They also covered in week 2 against the 49ers, winning 23-17 as 4-point underdogs.

Heading into the playoffs, the Vikings are 11-5-1 against the spread, with a +5.9 scoring margin. They are 7-4-1 ATS as favorites and 4-1 as underdogs. Their O/U record is 7-10, with an average of 44.9 points in their games.

Vikings Offense Breakdown

Sam Darnold has been solid for the Vikings, posting a passer rating of 119 in week 3, with 181 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Texans. He went 17/26 for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns in week 2 and 19/24 for 208 yards in week 1. Justin Jefferson has been Darnold’s top target, with 81 yards on 6 catches in week 3, following a 133-yard performance in week 2.

Minnesota ranks 9th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 25.4 points per game. They are 12th in the league in passing attempts but 6th in passing yards, with 237.8 per game. The Vikings have been strong in the 1st quarter, ranking 2nd in the NFL in points scored.

Vikings Team Defense

Minnesota's defense gave up 178 rushing yards to the Lions in their most recent game, which was part of a 394-yard offensive performance by Detroit. The Vikings lost 31-9, struggling to stop the run as the Lions finished with 5.7 yards per attempt on the ground. Despite allowing just 216 passing yards, the Vikings did force two interceptions.

On the passing side, the Vikings allowed 27 completions and an 81.8% completion percentage to the Lions. They also gave up one passing touchdown and allowed Detroit to convert on 41.7% of their third down attempts.

Rams Preview:

The Rams finished the season 10-7, which was enough to win the NFC West and secure the 4th seed in the conference. After a 44-42 win over the Bills in week 14, they picked up two more victories, beating the 49ers and Jets in weeks 15 and 16. However, they followed that up with a 13-9 win over the Cardinals in week 17 and a 30-25 loss to the Seahawks in week 18.

Heading into the playoffs, the Rams have an average scoring margin of -1.1 and are 9-8 against the spread this season. They are 4-3 ATS as favorites and 5-4 as underdogs. Their O/U record is 8-9, with their games averaging 44.3 points compared to an average line of 46.8.

Rams Offense Breakdown

Matthew Stafford had a strong performance in week 3, posting a passer rating of 105 by completing 16 of 25 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown without any interceptions. Tutu Atwell led the team in receiving, with 4 catches for 93 yards, while Kyren Williams rushed 24 times for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Rams scored 13 points in the 4th quarter and converted 3 of 5 red zone attempts.

Heading into the Wild Card round, the Rams rank 15th in our offensive power rankings. They are 19th in the NFL in points per game, averaging 21.6, and 15th in total yards per game with 331.4. On 3rd down, they rank 20th in the league with a conversion rate of 36.8%.

Rams Team Defense

In their 30-25 loss to the Seahawks, the Rams' defense gave up four passing touchdowns and allowed Seattle to complete 74.1% of their passes for 210 yards. The Rams' two sacks were not enough to slow down the Seahawks' passing attack, and they struggled on third downs, allowing Seattle to convert 54.5% of their third down attempts.

Despite their struggles against the pass, the Rams did limit the Seahawks to 126 rushing yards on 24 attempts. However, the Rams' defense gave up big plays in the passing game, as the Seahawks averaged 7.8 yards per passing attempt and scored four touchdowns through the air.

Vikings vs Rams Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Although Minnesota has a straight up record of 2-1 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs. the spread going 1-1-1. The team averaged 22 points per game in these games.
In their last ten games at home, the Rams have a straight up record of 6-4 while going 7-3 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 19 points per game in these contests.
Through their last five games as the underdog, the Rams have an ATS record of 4-1 and a straight up mark of 3-2.
Looking back on the team's last ten games as the favorite, the Vikings have a straight up record of 8-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 5-4-1.