The Minnesota Vikings will look to bounce back after their first loss of the season when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams for the latest edition of Thursday Night Football. When these two teams face off in what should be an exciting game, who should you back at online sportsbooks to make a winning NFL pick?
NFL Pick
- Minnesota Vikings -3 (-110) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams
Thursday, October 24, 2024 – 08:15 PM ET at SoFi Stadium
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have to be disappointed after falling short against the Detroit Lions for their first loss of the season. The Vikings lost to their division rivals 31-29. Still, it was a good performance for the Vikings and, although they came up short, they have a lot of solid achievements to build upon for the rest of the season:
- Aaron Jones returned to the lineup for the Minnesota Vikings and rushed for 93 yards in a touchdown.
- Justin Jefferson had 81 yards receiving and a touchdown.
- Sam Darnold was 22-27 for 259 yards in the loss.
The Vikings were predicted by many to be in fourth place for the season but, even after the loss, they are tied for first place in the division. The Vikings will be eager to get back on track against the Rams.
One of the reasons the Vikings have been so successful this year has been the play of the defense. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores likes to blitz, and the Los Angeles Rams can get ready for a steady dosage of blitzes. For the Rams to be successful in this game, they’re going to need to be able to handle these blitz packages. With the Rams offensive line having issues so far this season this will be a tough test.
A lot of people still don’t believe in Minnesota and this will be a good opportunity for the Vikings to show everybody that they are for real. We can expect a strong motivated performance from the Vikings this Thursday night.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams got their second win of the season when they forced four turnovers to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders 20-15. The Rams have been a team that has struggled with injuries this season but they are still capable of beating anybody behind the play of quarterback Matt Stafford and the great coaching of Sean McVay.
Matthew Stafford is the most underrated quarterback of this generation. First, he was on a Detroit Lions team that had no blocking for him, yet he still managed to put up great numbers. Now in Los Angeles, he has won a Super Bowl, but now he is playing with the same problems that he faced in Detroit. A porous offensive line means that he needs to get rid of the ball quickly and he’s taking a lot of hits.
The Rams might get a boost this week because WR Cooper Kupp can potentially return to the lineup. Kupp would be a huge addition to this Rams offense and they’re going to need every bit of scoring to keep up with the Minnesota Vikings high-powered offense.
Team Matchup: Rams Offensive Line vs Vikings Defensive Line
For the Rams to be successful they’re going to have to establish the run and protect their quarterback Matt Stafford. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is known for his variety of blitzes and if the Rams are not able to pick these up efficiently, their offense can become stagnant.
While the Rams were able to get the win with only 20 points against the Las Vegas Raiders, they are going to need to put up a lot more points in order to win against the Vikings. The Rams are going to need to provide Stafford with the proper protection as well as get a push and open up holes for RB Kyren Williams so they can have a balanced attack in order to hold off the Minnesota Vikings.
The Pick
As much as I like Matt Stafford, the team around the Minnesota Vikings is so much better that I think it’ll be too much for Stafford and McVay to overcome. The Vikings are 5-1 ATS so far this season and they are also 10-5-4 ATS on the road since 2022.
The Rams will not be able to stop the Vikings’ high-powered offensive attack and will have problems scoring against their stout defense. Coming off a loss, we will see a focused performance from a team that has been underestimated all season. This could be another Thursday night blowout.
Lay the points with the Minnesota Vikings.
NFL Pick: Minnesota Vikings -3 (-110) at Bet365
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