Photo Courtesy: velo_city
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
The NFC is a Mess Right Now
The NFC is an absolute mess right now. If you are one of those fans that’s use to seeing your team being the top dog in the division then you might be a little miffed. The Minnesota Vikings took a 2-point loss in their last game to the surging Detroit Lions. Let’s face it Green Bay has owned the NFC North for years when Aaron Rodgers was there. Now if you take a look at the NFC West, the Rams have sat in the top spot in 3 of 4 season. Now Seattle is leading the division and I know the season isn’t over but it does make things interesting. The only way the Rams can get back to being in first place is to go on a major winning streak.
What to watch for
Both teams have key players on the injured reserve list. Minnesota has 4 key players listed with one on the PUP-R: CB Akayleb Evans, LB Blake Cashman, DT Harrison Phillips, RB Aaron Jones and TE T.J. Hockenson on the PUP-R. The Rams has 3 listed as questionable with two one the IR: OT Joe Noteboom, DT Nevile Gallimore, LB Troy Reeder and WR Puka Nacua on the IR.
Game Info
Minnesota Vikings vs Los Angeles Rams
Thursday – October 24 – 7:15 p.m.
TV: PRIME VIDEO
SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA
Minnesota Vikings (5-1, 2-0 Away)
The Vikings were the darlings of the NFL this season until they dropped their last game to the Lions at home. The Vikings starting quarterback Sam Darnold has lit the NFL up in his first 6 games of the season. He has 1370 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. His play alone has lifted this team this season. Running back Aaron Jones is listed as questionable for this game. If he’s a no go, the Vikings will start Ty Chandler in his spot. They need this game on the road in order to remain at the top of their division. Players to watch: WR Justin Jefferson, LB Kamu Grugler-Hill, WR Jalen Nailor and PK Will Reichard.
Los Angeles Rams (2-4, 2-1 Home)
What in the heck happened to the Rams? Last season the Rams started slow and picked up the pace in the middle of the year to finish the season in the Wild Card Playoff game. Now, the Rams are basically a hit and miss team that’s looking for other teams to lose games to stay relevant. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is playing like he just met his team in the parking lot of the stadium. He will be the x-factor for this game for sure, possibly the rest of the season. He has to bring that inner dog to the offense in order to win. Look for the defense to take a stand just to keep the game close in the 4th quarter.
Prediction
ESPN has the Vikings with a 53.7% chance of winning Thursday night. Who am I to go against that! The Rams are struggling right now and I’m going with ESPN on this one! The over/under is 48.5 so take the over. I have the Vikings by 7!
Final Score
Vikings – 31
Rams – 24
