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Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams: Can the Vikings get back to winning track?

The Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams will meet on Thursday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

Are the Vikings a real contender?

The Minnesota Vikings saw their perfect 5-0 start snapped last week in a 31-29 home loss to the Detroit Lions. Sam Darnold went 22 for 27 for 259 yards. Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings even though he wasn’t expected to play due to a hamstring injury. Justin Jefferson had 81 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Will Reichard made three field goals, including an impressive one from 57 yards. Minnesota has dropped to second place in the NFC North with a 5-1 record and only one point differential behind the Lions.

Can the Rams add another one?

The Los Angeles Rams are at the bottom of the NFC West with a 2-4 record. They lost all three games on the road so far in the season and are 1-4 in conference play. After two consecutive tight losses, the Rams bounced back with a 20-15 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.  Matthew Stafford passed for 154 yards, his lowest total in four seasons with the Rams, and completed 14 of 23 passes for the game.

Betting Trends

The Rams are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games overall, 6-1 SU in their last 7 home games and 1-5 SU in their last 6 games against teams from the NFC. They are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in October and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 8. Los Angeles has played over the total point line in 10 of their last 14 games against Minnesota and 8 of their last 9 home games against them. The Vikings are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games overall, 5-2 SU in their last 7 games against the Rams and 9-2 SU in their last 11 games played in October. They are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall, 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games against the Rams, 7-1-2 ATS in their last 10 games on the road and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against teams from the NFC West. Minnesota has played under the total point line in 4 of their last 6 games overall.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Minnesota Vikings’ bye week appears to have come at the wrong time, as they lost to the Detroit Lions, a division rival, snapping their five-game winning streak and perfect season record. In an attempt to recover, they are now heading to Los Angeles in a condensed week. As head coach of the Vikings, Kevin O’Connell, a former offensive coordinator for the Rams, will be playing his old team for the first time. They will only be playing the Rams on the road for the third time this season, and they will be the underdogs for the sixth time in seven games. Given the likelihood of having two superstars return to the field, both teams have cause for optimism going into this match. The Vikings’ tight end TJ Hockenson may make his season debut, and LA anticipates wide receiver Cooper Kupp to return to action. The Rams can’t rely solely on the aging Matthew Stafford, so they will need the additional power that Kupp brings. The veteran, who has been hit 25 times, taken 17 sacks, and plays behind an offensive line that is ranked in the bottom third of the league in pass block, has been under the most pressure in the NFL. The Rams’ defense is allowing 25.7 points per game (26th in the league), while they are scoring 19 points on average (23rd in the league). With 28 points per game on offense and 17.8 points per game on defense, the Vikings are performing significantly better and are currently sixth in the league in both categories. The Vikings will be without defensive lineman Harrison Phillips, tight end Josh Oliver, outside linebacker Pat Jones II, and running back Aaron Jones, Sr. The Rams will be without defensive end Braden Fiske, wide receiver Jordan Whittington, defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, offensive tackle Joe Noteboom, and linebacker Troy Reeder. Considering everything, the Vikings are the superior team in every way and will prevail in this away game.