REPORT: Can Underdog Rams Pull Off the Upset at Home?

The Los Angeles Rams will face the Minnesota Vikings for the second time this season. Do they have what it takes to leave victorious?

Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) runs the ball against Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams are primed for a deep postseason run after finishing the season as one of the best teams in the National Football League over the season's final month. However, they must first beat the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round.

While the Rams were one of the best teams during the final half of the season, the Vikings were one of the best teams in the league for the entire season. The Rams will undoubtedly have their work cut out for them.

Will Brinson of CBS Sports recently released his predictions for Wild Card weekend around the National Football League. Brinson noted that both the Rams and the Vikings have legitimate gripes about the playoff format, even if they do not publicly express them.

"The Vikings are getting hosed by winning 14 games and having to go on the road," Brinson said. "But, what about the Rams? Win your division, and you get to host a 14-win team? How is that fair?? L.A. is a slight dog here (+1.5), and I get it, given the records, but I'm inclined to back Sean McVay against a former protege in Kevin O'Connell."

Brinson noted Rams head coach Sean McVay's success against former assistant coaches, and he believes that will factor into Monday night's game against former Rams offensive coordinator and current Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell.

"McVay's had good success against his former assistant coaches and was able to give all of his key starters a week off. Blake Corum's injury is a dagger for a good young player, but it also emphasized McVay's concerns with trotting his starters out in a relatively meaningless game (L.A. nearly won with backups, and the [Green Bay] Packers/ [Washington] Commanders seeding was up in the air until the last minute anyway).

"The Vikings' blitz-heavy defense is tough to deal with, but Matthew Stafford had one of his best games of the season against Minnesota, completing 75 percent of his passes and throwing four touchdowns in the Rams' late-October home win. Against the blitz specifically, he was 9 of 12 with a +0.51 EPA per dropback. This is a good setup for the Rams, as good as it can be against a 14-win team."

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