Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams Betting Pick & Prediction 1/13/25

ABC is set to televise the Vikings vs. Rams wild card round playoff game, which will kick off at 8:00 ET. The Vikings are favored on the road with a money line of -134. The Rams are the underdog with a point spread of +2.5 and a money line of +113. The game is being played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, and the over/under line is set at 47 points.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS VS LOS ANGELES RAMS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Los Angeles Rams +2.5

This game will be played at SoFi Stadium at 8:00 ET on Monday, January 13th.

WHY BET THE LOS ANGELES RAMS:

• We have the Vikings winning this one by a score of 21 to 20
• Even though we like the Vikings to win, our ATS pick is to take the Rams at +2.5
• We see this game finishing below the line of 47 points

Will The Vikings Pick Up A Win On The Road?

The Vikings finished the regular season with a 14-3 record, placing them 5th in the NFC and 2nd in the NFC North. After two straight losses in weeks 7 and 8, Minnesota bounced back with six consecutive wins, including a 28-6 victory over the Giants in week 1. In that game, they covered the 1-point spread and improved to 8th in our power rankings.

Against the spread, the Vikings went 11-5-1 this season, with a +5.9 scoring margin. They were 7-4-1 as favorites and 4-1 as underdogs. Their O/U record was 7-10, with their games averaging 44.9 points compared to a 45.4-point line.

Heading into the Wild Card round, the Vikings are 11th in our offensive power rankings. They rank 9th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 25.4 points per game, and are 12th in total yards, with 346.9 per game. Minnesota has been strong in the passing game, ranking 6th in passing yards per game (237.8) on 32.2 attempts per game. They are 14th in passing attempts. On the ground, they are 19th in rushing yards per game, with 109.1, on 26.9 attempts per game, which ranks 12th in the league.

Sam Darnold is coming off a 4-touchdown performance in the Vikings’ 34-7 win over the Texans in week 3, finishing with 181 yards and a passer rating of 119. Justin Jefferson had 6 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, while Aaron Jones rushed for 102 yards on 19 carries. Minnesota scored 14 points in the first quarter against Houston and currently ranks 2nd in the NFL in first-quarter scoring.

In their 31-9 loss to the Lions, the Vikings’ defense struggled to stop the run, giving up 178 yards on the ground across 31 attempts. Despite allowing 216 passing yards, Minnesota forced two interceptions and held the Lions to a 6.5 passing yards per attempt. Offensively, the Vikings managed just 216 yards and 9 points, with Detroit converting 41.7% of their third down attempts.

Minnesota’s defense allowed Detroit to control the clock and sustain drives, as the Vikings’ offense managed just 216 total yards. The Vikings’ inability to stop the run led to a heavy workload for the Lions on the ground, and Minnesota’s offense failed to capitalize, going just 4-of-14 on third down. The Vikings also allowed the Lions to score on over 50% of their red zone trips.

Will The Rams Win At Home Over The Vikings?

Despite a late-season slump that included three straight losses, the Rams finished 10-7, good enough to win the NFC West. They ended their losing streak with a 27-24 win over the 49ers in week 3, bouncing back from losses to the Bears and Packers in weeks 4 and 5. Before that, they had a 9-3 record, which included a 44-42 win over the Bills in week 14.

Heading into the playoffs, the Rams have a -1.1 scoring margin and are 9-8 against the spread. 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 a 46.8-point line.

Our offensive power rankings have the Rams at 15th in the NFL, and they are 19th in scoring, averaging 21.6 points per game. They rank 15th in total yards per game (331.4), with 227.5 passing yards per game (10th) and 103.8 rushing yards per game (23rd). The Rams are 20th in the league in 3rd-down conversions, with a 36.8% success rate, and they rank 20th in red zone conversion percentage.

Matthew Stafford threw for 221 yards and a touchdown in week 3, with a passer rating of 105. Tutu Atwell led the team with 93 receiving yards, and Kyren Williams rushed for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries. The Rams scored 13 points in the 4th quarter against the 49ers, after being shut out in the 1st quarter.

The Rams’ defense gave up four passing touchdowns in their 30-25 loss to the Seahawks, allowing 210 passing yards on just 20 completions. Seattle’s passing game was efficient, with a 7.8 yards per attempt average. Los Angeles struggled to get off the field, as the Seahawks converted on 54.5% of their third down attempts.

Although the Rams’ run defense gave up 126 yards on 24 attempts, they did win the tackles for loss battle. They managed two sacks in the game and held Seattle to a 3.9 yards per attempt average on the ground.