Vikings vs Rams inactives: Latest Wild Card playoff injury report and prediction
After a jam-packed weekend, the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs officially wraps up on Monday night with an NFC showdown between the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Rams and the fifth-seeded Minnesota Vikings. These two teams met in the regular season back in late October, a 30-20 victory for the Rams in L.A. in which Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdowns.
That game marked a return to the lineup for both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and Sean McVay's team has been nearly impossible to stop with both of its top wideouts on the field at the same time. Including the win over Minnesota, L.A. won nine of 11 games to capture the NFC West before a meaningless Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. This defense still leaves something to be desired, but no one will want to face this offense at full strength.
Of course, you could also say that about the Vikings, despite Sam Darnold's disastrous performance in a Week 18 loss at the Detroit Lions that cost Minnesota a shot at the NFC North and a first-round bye. This represents a make-or-break test for Darnold, one that could have tens of millions of dollars on the line as he enters free agency next spring. With Brian Flores' aggressive defense on the other side, Minnesota won't need much from its QB to make a deep playoff run.
The good news for both of these teams is that they each enter the playoffs at more or less full health. Here's a look at their respective injury reports for the win-or-go-home playoff duel.
Vikings inactives: Latest Wild Card playoff injury report and prediction
Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Patrick Jones II | OLB | Knee | Out |
Taki Taimani | DL | Ankle | Questionable |
Cam Akers | RB | Illness | Questionable |
Running back Ty Chandler was a full participant in practice on Saturday while Aaron Jones appears on track to play despite a nagging quad injury he picked up in Week 17. That leaves just a couple of open questions on the Vikings injury report. Jones II has already been ruled out with a knee injury after missing practice all week; with seven sacks during the regular season, it's a blow to the team's pass rush, though not one that they're incapable of withstanding given all the talent around him. Taimani hasn't played since Week 8 but was taken off of IR and practiced all week, while Akers' status is up in the air after he was a late add to the injury report due to illness.
Rams inactives: Latest Wild Card playoff injury report and prediction
Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Rob Havenstein | OT | Shoulder | Cleared to play |
The Rams, on the other hand, have just about zero injury concerns to speak of. Tight end Hunter Long practiced all week while recovering from a quad injury and has already been cleared to play, while Havenstein was limited all week but put in a full practice on Saturday and should be good to go as well. Havenstein, in particular, is a sigh of relief: This isn't a great Rams offensive line even with him in the lineup, and they'll need all hands on deck to keep Matthew Stafford upright against a ferocious Vikings defense.
Vikings vs. Rams Wild Card playoff prediction
Los Angeles will be at home here, and it's hard to bet against McVay, Stafford, Nacua and Kupp at full strength on a fast track. But this Rams defense has been porous all year, and I'm willing to bet that Kevin O'Connell will have Sam Darnold better prepared than he was in Detroit last weekend. The chess match between McVay and Flores will be epic, but in the end I don't think L.A. can quite keep pace in what should be another relatively high-scoring game.
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