There’s a heavyweight NFC clash on the menu on Thursday night as two of the favourites for the Conference title clash in Los Angeles with the Rams hosting the Minnesota Vikings.
What would’ve been a coin toss before the season seems well in the Rams’ favour after their perfect 3-0 start to the season showcased their ability on both sides of the ball.
The Vikings, by contrast, have had their troubles with a tie against the Packers followed by a shock 27-6 hammering by the previously winless Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Then there is the trip to LA a short week to deal with for the Vikings – as teams travelling through two time zones on a Thursday night have lost their last ten games.
The balance in Sean McVay’s side is illustrated by them being third top scorers in the league on offence but also having the NFL’s tightest defence having allowed just 26 points in three games.
Cornerback injuries the only hope for Minnesota
LA do have injury problems to worry about with star cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters both out and with the Vikings have Kirk Cousins at QB and several decent receiving options that looks to be their path to glory.
The Viking haven’t topped 30 points in a game yet, but they will need to as the rams have eclipsed that mark in every game – having Cousins throw early and often looks like their best chance.
LA also has a powerful and disruptive defensive line so Cousins will need to get the ball out of his hands quickly to avoid the likes of Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers.
Cousins has tallied 321 yards a game and has looked excellent at times, but was playing catch-up against Buffalo and needs a more solid platform if he’s to pick apart this solid Rams rearguard.
Running back Todd Gurley has been in stellar form again with five touchdowns in three games, including scoring the first TD in every game this season so far, so he’s one to watch in the first TD scorer market.
Prediction: Minnesota Vikings 20-30 LA Rams
Best Bet: LA Rams win (-7.0) at 10/11
The Rams usually score 30 points and on a short week it'll be tough for the Vikings to plan for the multi-faceted attack LA can throw at you while their defence has been the stingiest around for allowing points. Throw in the fact that every home team has won on Thursday nights so far this season and the awful record teams travelling through two time zones have and it all seems to favour the hosts.
Touchdowns: Brandin Cooks first LA Rams TD at 4/1
Todd Gurley has dominated this market having scored first for LA in all three games so far, but if you watched the game against the Chargers you'll have seen Cooks find the end zone first, only for the score to be reversed by the TV replays. It shows LA are ready to dial up a pass to score early and at the price Cooks is worth a shot as he also has the home run potential to score from deep.