It came down to the final quarter of the final game of the regular season, but the Rams’ date in the wild card round of the playoffs finally became official Sunday night.
The Rams (10-7) will host the Minnesota Vikings next Monday at 5 p.m. in a game televised by ABC. It’s a matchup between teams that are very familiar with each by virtue of the connections between their coaching staffs and an early-season game featuring the two. Here’s what you need to know about the Rams’ wild-card opponent:
Coach: Kevin O’Connell, 3rd season
Finish: 14-3, 2nd in NFC North
Season recap: A preseason injury to rookie first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy looked like it might spell early doom for the Vikings’ 2024 hopes. But under the tutelage of O’Connell, the offensive coordinator of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI team, quarterback Sam Darnold has thrived. He surpassed his career high in passing by over 1,000 yards and, combined with a defense rebuilt via free agency, kept the Vikings in the hunt for the NFC’s one-seed. Only a loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 dashed those hopes, so the Vikings became the first 14-win team to be relegated to a wild card spot in NFL history.
Last meeting: The Rams and Vikings met in Week 8, with the Rams winning 30-20. It was the first game back from injury for receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and the duo combined for 12 catches for 157 yards. The Vikings looked sloppy during the Thursday night game, committing nine penalties that led to five Rams first downs.
Offense: Given the two years he spent with the Rams, O’Connell runs a similar offense to Sean McVay. The Vikings have been doing it at an efficient pace this season, particularly through the air. Entering Week 18, Minnesota ranked eighth in estimated points added (EPA) per play at 0.177 with a success rate of 52.3%. The run game has struggled at times, but veteran Aaron Jones is still averaging 4.5 yards per carry. But the real star power for this team is at receiver, with Justin Jefferson ranking second in the NFL with 1,479 receiving yards.
Defense: Coordinator Brian Flores has been one of the most creative in the NFL, and the result has been a league-leading EPA per play of -0.096. He is aggressive with blitz calls, so it’s no surprise that the Vikings rank third in pass rush win rate at 46% according to ESPN. LB Blake Cashman leads the team in tackles, while OLBs Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard combined for over 20 sacks.
Health factor: Veteran corner Fabian Moreau is dealing with a hip injury that kept him out of Week 18.
Coach’s quote: “I know what’s at stake and you have tremendous respect, but I’m excited about seeing who that is and then we’re going to dive into it. We’re going to go for it with no fear.” — McVay, before Lions-Vikings game
Player’s quote: “We know no one really wants to play us. The two teams that are playing tonight, we beat one of them and we took one to overtime the first game of the year when we started 1-4. So we feel really good about ourselves. This is exciting.” — K Joshua Karty, before Lions-Vikings game
Early line: Vikings by 2.5
