Focus On Total In Toss Up Matchup

Vikings vs. Rams, 8:00 ET

We've reached the final game of the Wild Card weekend, and to be honest, there wasn't much wild about this weekend at all. The first three games were complete blowouts and the fourth wasn't exactly close either. The Texans demolished the Chargers, much to my surprise. The Ravens coasted against the Steelers, which was predictable. And, Buffalo made light work of the Broncos, as expected. The Eagles didn't exactly struggle against the Eagles, but they weren't great against them either. So far, we are 3-2 on the Wild Card weekend, and have this one to get us to 4-2 as the Vikings take on the Rams. 

There were a lot of impressive teams this season, but I can't say there was anyone more surprising to me than the Vikings. This team looked like they were going to take a step back this year, but instead, they played very good football and went 14-3 for the season. Their three losses? Twice to the Lions, and once to, you guessed it, the Rams. I don't really think this is a matter of them having an easy schedule. I think it was just a situation where the Lions are a better team, and the Rams might've gotten them in a good spot. Sam Darnold played better than he ever has and continued to keep the Vikings in spots to win games. Darnold had 35 touchdowns this season, he only had 63 touchdowns in his entire career prior to this season. The defense was very good and the offense was impressive. There is no reason to think the Vikings can't win the Super Bowl, other than the fact that their losses came against potentially two of the three teams they would need to play in order to get there. What do they need to change from last time they took on the Rams? Darnold doesn't really need to change much, but it would help to keep his success up the entire game. The Vikings jumped out to an early lead, but they couldn't get much else going after the first quarter. 

Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates his touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Rams did essentially the same thing they did last season, stinking up the league until their bye week, then turning the page and making a big run pushing them into the playoffs. They were just 1-4 before their Week 6 bye week and then went 9-3 the remainder of the way. One of those losses was Week 18, in a meaningless game for themselves against Seattle. The Rams have done a great job of getting Kyren Williams, their running back, to lead their team and find space for him. He's hit 100 yards or more on the ground in three of his past five games. He had 97 yards in the first game against the Vikings as well. The Vikings defense has been very good against the run this season, second-best in the league. Minnesota can be exploited via the pass though, and Matthew Stafford did that very well in their first game, tossing four touchdowns and one interception. The Rams will need to find a way to slow down Justin Jefferson, they kept him out of the endzone in their first game, but he caught eight of nine targets and racked up 115 yards. 

It almost seems unfair that these two have to face each other here. Winning 14 games and having to go on the road is a bit wild. I suppose they get a bit of a benefit because the teams are playing on a neutral field due to the Los Angeles fires. I don't have much of a thought on the side. I think both teams could win this and I think both could easily cover the spread. I do think the total goes over here though. Both have good offenses and some defensive deficiencies that could be exploited. I think Jefferson goes over 90.5 receiving yards as well, but I'm not playing this with as heavy of a value. 

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