Sep 22, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A Minnesota Vikings fan reacts to the game with the Cleveland Browns at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Browns win 31-27. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings won 14 games in 2024, but according to Sporting News and Bleacher Report, the purple team will fire up the dreaded one-and-done in the postseason.
Minnesota travels to Inglewood, California — or Glendale, Arizona — for a Wildcard date with the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night, and the sportsbooks favor the Vikings win by a point or two.
The who’s who of NFL punditry, however, isn’t buying it. Sporting News‘ Bill Bender picked the Rams to topple the Vikings by a score of 28-27.
He explained, “Here is the ‘upset’ of the week. The Rams are home underdogs against a Minnesota team coming off a brutal loss against the Lions. Los Angeles beat Minnesota 30-20 in Week 8. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nakua combined for 12 catches for 157 yards and a TD in that game. Mathew Stafford had consistent home-road splits this season, and the Rams can win another close game here.”
Minnesota and Los Angeles haven’t played each other in the postseason since 1999. The clubs met frequently, though, in the 1970s and 1980s during the playoff tournament.
“How will Sam Darnold respond after a brutal Week 18 performance against the Lions? This is his first playoff start, and it will be heavily scrutinized. The Rams were 3-3 S/U as an underdog of four points or less this season, and we think they will generate just enough against the Vikings’ second-ranked run defense to spring the upset,” Bender concluded about his Rams prediction.
Bleacher Report wasn’t far off Bender’s forecast, either.
“In Week 8, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Minnesota Vikings 30-20 at home. The referees missed a facemask infraction late in the game, but the Vikings needed a late touchdown drive to potentially tie up the score anyway. The Rams pressured Sam Darnold in that contest, sacking him three times, and limited the Vikings’ explosive plays over the top. Los Angeles may have the blueprint to slow down Minnesota’s ninth-ranked scoring offense,” BR’s collective staff published this week.
Six of eight pundits on BR’s panel chose the Rams over the Vikings, ultimately resulting in a 31-30 outcome.
The Vikings haven’t won a postseason game in five years. The last time? The 2019 campaign at the New Orleans Saints when Kirk Cousins and Kyle Rudolph walked off Sean Payton’s team in overtime.
Rams-Vikings could be moved to Glendale if Southern California wildfires persist.
Minnesota has the NFL’s sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl (+1500).
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.