Ricky Dimon
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Super Wild Card Weekend in the NFL playoffs concludes with the Minnesota Vikings visiting the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, although the reality is that both teams are on the road. This game got moved from L.A. to Glendale, Arizona because of the California fire disaster. Minnesota (14-3) had to settle for a wild card after losing the NFC North to the Detroit Lions, while Los Angeles (10-7) edged out the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West crown.
Here is my Same Game Parlay for the festivities, which get underway at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN. Also be sure to check out our full Vikings vs Rams predictions.
Rams ML (+124)
Matthew Stafford Over 239.5 passing yards (-110)
Justin Jefferson to score a touchdown (-120)
Parlay odds: +675
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford passing for his fair share of yards would obviously work well with a win for the Rams. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Minnesota receiver Justin Jefferson to find the endzone. But even if he does, there is no reason why L.A. can’t get the job done. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Rams ML (+124)
Even though this no longer an actual home game for the Rams, I still feel good about their chances. That largely comes down to the fact that this is Stafford vs Sam Darnold in a playoff situation. Stafford, of course, is a Super Bowl champion. Darnold has not sniffed the Lombardi Trophy – and probably won’t this year after the Vikings got blown out by the Lions in Week 18. It’s hard to see Minnesota winning up to 3 games in order to reach the Super Bowl. In fact, Darnold and company might not even win 1. Although their 14-3 record is not exactly fraudulent, the Vikes’ performance in the regular-season finale exposed them as pretenders rather than contenders. They are good but nothing special. It should also be remembered that Los Angeles has already beat Minnesota once this season (30-20 in Week 8). Give me the Rams to pull off a minor upset.
Matthew Stafford Over 239.5 passing yards (-110)
Minnesota may be a slightly superior all-around team (maybe), so the Rams will have to win the quarterback battle if they want to advance. Stafford should not have any trouble accomplishing that feat. He has much more experience than Darnold and is a proven winner in the playoffs. Dating back to their title-winning season of 202, the former Georgia standout’s yardage numbers through the air in his last 4 playoff games are 366, 337, 283 and 367. Stafford has exceeded this 239.5 number in 6 of his last 10 starts, a stretch that includes 279 yards and 4 touchdowns against Minnesota in Week 8.
Justin Jefferson to score a touchdown (-120)
The Rams might as well just accept Jefferson scoring a touchdown as a given. As long as they stop everyone else (especially Jordan Addison), they should be in good shape. Jefferson produced 10 TDs during the regular season, including 5 in the last 5 contests. He failed to score in the regular-season matchup with L.A., but he did catch 8 of 9 targets for 115 yards. The LSU product should be able to put 6 points on the board this time around. He is facing a Los Angeles defense that surrendered 29 passing touchdowns in the regular season, tied for the fifth most in the NFL.
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