The Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings combined for one of the best Thursday Night Football games of the season in a Week 8 matchup. After winning that game by double-digits, the two will face each other again Monday night in Arizona.
It marked the Vikings' only loss all season to a team other than the Detroit Lions, arguably the best team in the National Football League. Following the early-season loss to the Rams, the Vikings rattled off nine straight wins and did not lose another game until Week 18.
Tom Blair of NFL.com made predictions for every playoff game in the Wild Card round. While many of his cohorts believe the Rams will win, Blair believes the first matchup between the two teams had multiple odd occurrences that Blair believes swung the Week 8 matchup in the Rams' favor.
"Looking at this matchup strictly from a football perspective, the Rams have a lot to like," Blair said. "The seasoned leadership of Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, the proven playmaking ability of Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, and Cooper Kupp, the proficient young defensive front led by Jared Verse and Kobie Turner. Plus, there's the fact that L.A. won this very matchup in Week 8.
"But there was enough weirdness in that one -- a Thursday Night Football showdown coming four days after a hard-fought loss to the Lions, with Sam Darnold and the offense having to adjust midgame to left tackle Christian Darrisaw's season-ending injury -- that it's easy to imagine Minnesota ending up on top this time around. Not to mention, I said I'd pick the Vikes in a work meeting to plan this file, and you don't go back on Zoom promises.
Blair believes the Vikings will find a way to win the rematch against a stout Rams team.
"So, I'm making the brave choice to pick the 14-win team that almost finished with the best record in the NFC," Blair said. "It's something of a leap of faith, but I'm counting on Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores -- and, oh yeah, perhaps the best receiver in the game -- to come through and secure the franchise's first postseason win since the 2019 playoffs."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as REPORT: Rams in for a Stiff Challenge Monday Night.