NFL Wild Card Weekend Best Bets and Predictions for Vikings at Rams

Wild Card Weekend's finale is unfortunately now draped in different colors.

The Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams' rematch of a Week 9 battle will take place in Glendale, Arizona at the home of the Arizona Cardinals after the Los Angeles County wildfires have raged on. Our thoughts are with those affected by such an unfortunate natural disaster.

However, it does change the handicap on this one a bit. L.A. loses their "Rams House" that was rocking in a 30-20 win over Minnesota earlier this season, but it was a short week.

The Vikings dropped out of the one seed with a win last week. Can they rebound to move into the NFC's final four teams, or will the Rams show their championship DNA to advance.

Even within a single NFL game, betting markets are abundant.

You've got everything from spreads and totals to touchdown scorers and player props at your disposal. It can be a lot to sort through.

Using the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, here are the best bets for the Wild Card Round matchup between the Vikings and Rams.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

Vikings at Rams Betting Picks

Rams +2.5 (-102)
Rams Moneyline (+126)
Rams Over 22.5 Points (-138)

There is something to be said for home field advantage and experience in the NFL's postseason. L.A. lost one via this game's relocation, but the other could be priceless.

Of course, the Rams' playoff experience extends beyond just a 2022 Super Bowl win. They also came up a single point short in Motown last year, and there's an argument that this version, due to added muscle up front defensively in the form of former Florida State Seminoles linemen Braden Fiske and Jared Verse, is better.

We just saw the Vikings falter in Detroit in a do-or-die game where Sam Darnold looked pretty plain. That's a massive concern.

On paper, the Rams (13th) and Vikings (14th) share similar rankings in numberFire's schedule-adjusted offensive metrics. On defense, L.A. (21st) certainly cedes ground to Minnesota (3rd), but a lot of the Vikings' production has come from turnover luck and schedule.

They slip back to just 10th in opponent yards per play (5.3 YPP), and they ceded 25.5 points per game to offenses ranked inside nF's top 15. They played just six of those all season.

If the Vikes D ends up fairly plain, Darnold are Kevin O'Connell are at a significant deficit to Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay in terms of high-level experience, and Stafford threw four touchdowns in their first meeting. Kyren Williams ran for 97 yards on them.

Warning signs are abound that this Minnesota team that came from nowhere might have just relished an easy schedule. They went just 3-3 against playoff teams. I'll take the veteran, been-there-done-that team playing for a ravaged community back home to cover, win, and be the latest quality offense to put up at least 23 points on Minnesota.

You can also check out our latest 2024-25 NFL Playoffs printable bracket!

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.