HomeNFLNFL PredictionsMinnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams Prediction, Odds and Wild Card Picks

Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams Prediction, Odds and Wild Card Picks for Monday, 01/13/25

Updated: 9:08 AM ET Jan 08, 2025

SoFi StadiumESPN

Vikings

8:15 PM ETMon Jan 13

Rams

WWWWL	Last 5	WWWWL
14-3	Record	10-7
11-5-1	ATS Record	9-8-0
7-10	O/U Record	8-9

Vote on who will cover the spread!

Vikings vs Rams Pickswise Expert Predictions

NFL

Point Spread Pick

LA Rams +1.0(-110)MIN Vikings @ LA Rams

Reasoning

Until last week, there weren’t many naysayers about the Minnesota Vikings. Finishing 14-3 and nearly earning the #1 seed in the NFC, Kevin O’Connell has seemingly done the impossible, building a serious championship contender after letting go of who was considered their franchise quarterback (Kirk Cousins) last season. Of course, in order to get to the Super Bowl, the Vikings must get by the Lions, a feat that’s proved too difficult for them twice this season. Their opponent in the Wild Card round is no slouch, either.

The Rams already beat the Vikings back on October 24, and it was no fluke. Brian Flores’ lauded, aggressive defense had very little effect on that Thursday evening, sacking Matthew Stafford zero times and allowing 26 first downs, 386 total yards and 30 points. Coincidentally, the Vikings were fresh off a loss to the Lions just 4 days earlier, an interesting predicament considering last Sunday’s result. Either way, we believe the Vikings will look much better against the Rams. Minnesota was on a tear before losing to Detroit, winning 9 straight and often scoring 27+ along that run. It takes simple, short-term memory loss to forget about Detroit and move forward; we’re just not sure how mentally tough an inexperienced Sam Darnold will perform in another high-pressure situation.

On Monday, Minnesota will return to SoFi Stadium to get their revenge, although we’re not convinced they’ll succeed. Stafford and coach Sean McVay have been here before, Super Bowl champions just 3 short seasons ago. Out of such experiences comes immeasurable synergy, and the Rams have looked fantastic since the start of December. Disregarding their Week 18 contest where they sat all starters, the Rams won 5 straight games, and they looked damn-near championship-worthy in recent victories against the Bills and Ravens. Featuring a defense that’s been improving and sharpening its skillset all season, the Rams own as much offensive-skill talent as any roster in the NFL. They’ll undoubtedly be a handful for the Vikings, and since we give the coach/QB edge to the home team, it’s the only way we can look.

Vikings vs Rams prediction: Rams +1 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -1.

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Chris R. Farley

NFL

Game Totals Pick

Over 47.0(-120)MIN Vikings @ LA Rams

Reasoning

We never mince words in our writeups. Transparency is key in handicapping and we despise touts who claim to know anything before it happens. That being said, this number feels like an absolutely perfect calculation, which makes assessing the over/under very difficult. For those who are more novice bettors, 47 is one of the most important “key numbers” in the NFL, meaning that more games end on a total of 47, by a wide margin, than most others. In the 2024-25 season, the number “47” is somewhat of a precipice, a barrier between low-scoring and high-scoring contests. The market is essentially saying that this game could go either way.

Both defenses have been playing very well. Minnesota has allowed more yards and points, but their defense steps up when it needs to. Since Week 8, they’ve accrued 19 sacks, for example, often drive-killers in the game’s most important moments. The Rams have been extremely stingy, too, permitting 9 or fewer points in 3 of their last 4 games and 14 or less in 4 of their last 6. They’ve also been very bothersome for opposing QBs, earning 12 sacks in their past 5 matchups, and their young, try-hard roster has been increasingly impressive as the season has gone on. Entering the Wild Card round, they’re a top-5 red-zone defense, permitting a touchdown on just 50% of their opponents’ opportunities.

Burgeoning defenses or not, eventually we think the dam will break. Minnesota is an explosive offense right from the get-go, averaging 6.4 points per 1st quarter. We like their chances of scoring early even better since they started much slower recently, scoring zero 1st-quarter points in the last 2 weeks. On turf, without weather concerns and against a young defense, chances are higher that Minnesota will initiate a score right away, meaning that Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford will begin to chase one another immediately. We don’t project that slowing down.

Vikings vs Rams prediction: Over 47 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to 48.

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Chris R. Farley

Chris Farley

Show Bio

Chris is a writer for Pickswise who’s been handicapping the NFL since 2011. He began his public betting career as a betting writer, and has since become a contributing analyst for various betting sites and shows. He was a 5th place winner ($114k) in the 2021 NFL Circa Millions contest, and he owns his own sports betting podcast, Laying the Points. Chris approaches handicapping using psychosocial principles and nuanced market analysis. The NFL and NBA are his favorite and most profitable sports.

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