Notre Dame vs. Duke Same Game Parlay – Jan 11
January 9, 2025
Wild Card Same Game Parlay Picks – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
January 10, 2025
Wild Card Round NFL betting action closes out in Tinseltown where the Los Angeles Rams will attempt to hold serve and advance to the Division Round by getting the best of the visiting Minnesota Vikings. Kevin O’Connell’s troops were severely outclassed in last Sunday night’s venture into Motown where the one-sided 31-9 loss and failure to cover the NFL spread cost them NFC North bragging rights and the top seed in the NFC playoffs that would’ve come with a win. As for Sean McVay’s squad, it rested a number of starters yet still put up a fight to cover in a 30-25 losing effort against the Seahawks.
PROLINE+ initially set the Vikings as 2-point road favorites on the NFL odds with a total of 47.5 for this intriguing wild-card matchup. NFL bettors have since pushed the number to beat down to -1.5 with nearly 70% of the bets and 80% of money aligned with the home dogged Rams. Though 80+ percent of the written tickets and booked handle is currently aligned with the over, linemakers have held their ground and not moved off the opener instead attaching heavier vig to the high side of the impost.
Reduced juice betting is one of the best ways for any sports bettor to save money and far too many people don’t take advantage of it. If you are not playing at a sportsbook that offers reduced juice betting then you are simply giving away money.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams NFL Same Game Parlay:
The Minnesota Vikings had a shot at securing home-field advantage when they visited Detroit in a bid to reclaim NFC North supremacy last Sunday night. However, missed red zone opportunities and Detroit’s dominance in time of possession allowed the Lions to pull away over the final 20 minutes, resulting in a decisive 31-9 loss. With the defeat, Kevin O’Connell’s squad finished the regular season 14-3 straight up (SU) and 11-5-1 against the spread (ATS), earning the NFC’s No. 5 seed heading into Wild Card Weekend. The nine-point output marked the Vikings’ second-lowest scoring total of the season, surpassed only by a 12-point showing in a Week 10 road victory over Jacksonville.
Expectations will be high for Sam Darnold Monday night when he stares back at the Los Angeles Rams defense for the second time this season. In the Week 8 meeting, Darnold threw for 240 yards and posted a 2:0 TD/INT ratio, but most of that production came in the first quarter. The offense sputtered afterward, leading to a frustrating 30-20 defeat. Minnesota’s inability to contain Rams proved to be detrimental to Minny’s chances of getting out of SoFi with the win. The Vikings’ secondary must step up if they hope to flip the script and advance into the next round.
After securing the NFC West title with a critical Week 17 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Rams opted for caution in Week 18, resting several starters. Despite falling 30-25 to the Seattle Seahawks, they still covered the closing 7.5-point NFL spread, but did fall down to the fourth seed. The loss sets up a highly anticipated wild-card rematch against the Minnesota Vikings, whom they toppled by 10 points as 2.5-point underdogs on this same field back in Week 8.
Some speculate Sean McVay preferred this scenario, potentially favoring a known matchup over facing the unpredictable Jayden Daniels and the upstart Washington Commanders in their first playoff appearance in years. With firsthand knowledge of what the Vikings bring to the table, McVay may feel confident, especially given how his standout receiving duo—Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua—dominated in their previous meeting. Each torched the Vikings’ secondary, contributing to a decisive offensive performance that left Minnesota playing catch-up for most of the game.
I faded the Vikings big last week knowing full well Minnesota had no shot of going into Ford Field and stealing NFC North bragging rights away from what I believe to be a team of destiny. While Minny made things interesting early on, horrendous red zone execution paired with some real brow raising play calls from KOC leads me to believe the Vikings are by no means as good as their 14-3 regular season record suggests. That paired with LA voluntarily laying down in a meaningful game last week to get this matchup lets it be known the home team is exceptionally comfortable running up against Brian Flores’ defense a second time.
I don’t know about you, but it certainly looked like Darnold was seeing ghosts again last week. His inability to hook up with Justin Jefferson when it mattered most said it all. The Lions terrorized him all game with their ability to rush the passer, and LA should be able to mimic that feat knowing full well they got to the Vikings QB1 three times in the first go-round. All it takes is one strip sack or deflected pass to change the course of this one. In the battle of head coaches, I’m siding with McVay—especially after allowing us to cash attractive plus-moneylines against the Bills and 49ers earlier this season.
- LOS ANGELES RAMS +1.5
- MINNESOTA/LOS ANGELES UNDER 47.5
