Vikings vs. Rams in NFC Wild Card Playoffs: What’s at stake
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings face the L.A. Rams in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
It’s now the postseason, which means a loss and your season is over. A win, and you get one step closer to the Super Bowl.
Vikings/Rams moved to Arizona due to wildfires
What we know: Monday’s playoff game got moved to Arizona due to the deadly wildfires in the L.A. area last week. At least 10 people have died, and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed. SoFi Stadium itself has not been impacted, but poor air quality is likely among many factors as to why the NFL moved the game.
It could shift momentum to the Vikings, with thousands of Minnesotans living in Arizona during the winter and fans flying down for the playoff game.
Vikings/Rams winner heads to Philadelphia
Why it matters: With Green Bay losing to Philadelphia, it guaranteed that the Vikings wouldn’t have a home game in the divisional round if they beat the Rams. Washington beat Tampa Bay, so the Commanders are headed to Detroit next weekend. If the Vikings beat the Rams, they’ll face the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The last time the two teams met there in the playoffs, the Eagles got a 38-7 victory one week after the Minneapolis Miracle.
The rematch
What we know: The Vikings lost to the Rams 30-20 in Week 8 on Thursday Night Football. The game ended in some controversy, with Sam Darnold taking a sack in the end zone for a safety late in the fourth quarter on a play where there should've been a facemask penalty that did not get called.
Recent playoff history not kind to Vikings
Digging deeper: The Vikings have not won a playoff game since beating the New Orleans Saints in 2020 on a Kirk Cousins' walkoff touchdown to Kyle Rudolph. They missed the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, the year Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman were fired. Kevin O’Connell won the NFC North Division in his first season, but the Vikings lost to the Giants at home in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs. They went 7-10 in 2023 and missed the playoffs.
This year marks the first time a 14-win team is on the road for a playoff game.
Awards galore for Vikings
What we know: Justin Jefferson and Andrew DePaola were named First-Team All-Pro last week. Andrew Van Ginkel was named Second-Team All Pro. Jefferson has 103 catches for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. DePaola is a special teams captain and was named to the Pro Bowl for a third straight season. Van Ginkel has 11.5 sacks and two pick-6s this season.