Vikings vs. Rams Predictions, Picks & Odds: Monday Night Football, 1/13
The final of the six NFL Wild Card Weekend games takes place inside of State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona after being moved due to the California wild fires with the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Minnesota Vikings. This is far from a playoff matchup most fans saw coming in the preseason, but now that it’s here, we’ve got our best Vikings vs. Rams predictions for you.
Of course, that also means a best bet from our Vikings vs. Rams picks, and we’ll be pairing it with a brand new FanDuel Sportsbook welcome promo for a guaranteed $200 bonus!
Vikings vs. Rams Predictions For NFL Wild Card Monday Night Football
Based on the Vikings vs. Rams odds, this Monday Night Football matchup is expected to be the most difficult of Wild Card Weekend to predict. It’s closing in on a pick ‘em, but of course, we have a previous meeting between these NFC foes from earlier this season.
They met back in Week 8 with the Rams getting the 30-20 win, which was also in Los Angeles. It was one of the few losses that the Vikings suffered this season, and in fact, it was their only one that didn’t come by the hands of the Detroit Lions. So, will they get their revenge when it matters most?
It’s an extremely difficult question to answer, but the best bet from our Vikings vs. Rams predictions will help provide our favorite way of approaching the game.
Minnesota Vikings: Contender Or Pretender?
All season, despite always having one of the best records in the NFL, the Vikings were questioned as to whether or not they were for real. It felt as though the only time that the doubters were silenced, it wasn’t until Week 17 with their win over the Green Bay Packers to advance to 14-2.
Almost immediately afterwards, the doubters were even louder following the Week 18 loss to the Lions. So, even with a 14-3 finish to the season, such a disappointing finale now has fans asking if QB Sam Darnold is the guy. It seems crazy to some, but they’ll need to once again try and silence the doubters with a playoff win.
Los Angeles Rams: Using The Pseudo-Bye Week
Not only was this not a predicted preseason playoff matchup, the NFC West was all but assumed to be won by the San Francisco 49ers. They were even the favorites to win the NFC as a whole, but as we’ve seen, the Rams ruined those plans.
LA didn’t get the #1 seed, but thanks to locking up the division following Week 17, they had the luxury of resting key players this past weekend. That included pivotal players like QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp, who are going to play a vital role in the Rams pulling off the slight upset.
How To Watch NFL Wild Card Monday Night Football
We already mentioned that this is a home game for LA, and you can see all the information on how to watch the Vikings vs. Rams MNF game:
- Where: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
- When: 8 PM ET on Monday, 1/13
- Watch on TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ABC
- Where to stream: NFL+, YouTubeTV, ESPN+
Vikings vs. Rams Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
The NFL Wild Card finale is set to be an extremely close one, and you can see that with the Vikings vs. Rams odds at FanDuel Sportsbook below:
- Point Spread: Minnesota Vikings -2.5 (-110) vs. Los Angeles Rams +2.5 (-110)
- Money Line: Minnesota Vikings (-140) vs. Los Angeles Rams (+125)
- Game Total (Over/Under): Over 47.5 (-110) vs. Under 47.5 (-110)
Vikings vs. Rams Best Bet: Minnesota Money Line (-140 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Targeting a point spread for our Vikings vs. Rams predictions may be a tough pill to swallow given how close the game is projected to be, but we indeed expect Minnesota to come out on top, so we’re comfortable simply taking the money line.
It may seem strange to not just take the 1.5-point spread, but the Vikings have been notorious for close games this season. Each of their last two wins came by two and three points, and all but two of their wins since Week 3 have come by just a single possession.
Now, we know that the Rams won this matchup the first time around, but the way in which they exploited Minnesota has improved. That can be difficult to see, so let’s explain. In that Week 8 clash, we saw Stafford throw for four passing touchdowns, including one to RB Kyren Williams.
Since then, Minnesota’s defense has been great in the sense of a bend-don’t-break-style. While they still allow significant passing yardage, they have kept teams out of the end zone by way of the air. They are in the top 10 in that regard, and since Stafford’s four passing TDs, they have allowed just 20 passing touchdowns.
So, surely the Rams can just rely on Williams to run the rock, right? Well, the Vikings have the second-best run defense in the NFL, so that cannot be assumed. All of the above paired with the fact that they want revenge against the Rams and to avenge the Week 18 loss, Minnesota should be as fired up as ever.
It may be a sweat with a back-and-forth game, but we're still locking in the best bet from our Vikings vs. Rams predictions on Minnesota’s money line (-140 at FanDuel Sportsbook).
Vikings vs. Rams Injury Report & Latest News
As far as injury news goes for this Vikings vs. Rams matchup, we’re going to want to keep an eye on Minnesota safety Harrison Smith, as he will be important to their pass defense success. For LA, the team is hopeful that OL Rob Havenstein will be able to return, and you can stay up to date with all injury news courtesy of the Fantasy Alarm NFL injury report!
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