The Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings face off on Sunday in a Week 16 NFL showdown at U.S. Bank Stadium. When these two teams faced off in 2018 it was the Rams that came away with the 38-31 victory.
The Rams come into this game with a 10-4 record overall and they have gone 7-7 against the spread. The last game for the Rams was against the Seattle Seahawks the defense was strong giving up only 10 points. They have won three games in a row. The Rams are averaging 27.57 points while their defense is giving up 21.6 points per game. Matthew Stafford has been a bit inconsistent at times this year but he has thrown for 4,142 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The star of the offense is Cooper Kupp, but Odell Beckham Jr has also been a welcome addition for this team.
On the other side of this matchup is the Minnesota Vikings who are in a must-win part of the season as they try to make the playoffs. The Vikings sit with a 7-7 record and they have gone 8-6 against the spread. The last game wasn’t the prettiest against the Chicago Bears, but they came away with the victory. One big concern heading into this game is they will be without Dalvin Cook who has tested positive for COVID. The Vikings have won three of the last four games that Alexander Mattison has started, but he still isn’t as talented as Cook. The Vikings are averaging 25.8 points while their defense is giving up 24.4 points per game. Kirk Cousins is stealing with a rib injury but all signs are pointing towards him going.
The Rams are 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games overall. The Vikings are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games against a team with a winning record. The Rams are 0-6 against the spread in their last six meetings against the Vikings.
The Vikings have found success this season in higher scoring games, and that will be the case in this showdown. It appears the Vikings will have Adam Thielen back in this game, and that will be a big boost for Kirk Cousins. The Vikings' offense will do enough to cover the spread.