The Minnesota Vikings will face the Rams in a postseason game for the eighth time on Monday, the most playoffs meetings of any Vikings opponent.
Minnesota is 5-2 in playoff games against the Rams (seven as Los Angeles and one as St. Louis, including 3-0 in conference championship games against them, winning in 1969, 1974 and 1976.
The teams have met in one previous Wild Card Round game, a Vikings win in 1988. That game was also played on a Monday afternoon as the NFL was avoiding Christmas Day games at the time and the teams played that game on Dec. 26.
Minnesota won that game 28-17 at the Metrodome, with Alfred Anderson scoring two touchdowns.
The lowdown
Date/time: Monday, Jan. 13, 7 p.m.
Site: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Series: Vikings lead 27-19-2 (scores listed at end)
Postseason: Vikings lead 5-2
Series streak: Rams have won three straight
Longest Vikings streak: 6 (1987-1998)
Longest Rams streak: 4 (1978-1985)
Most Vikings points: 45 (1972)
Most Rams points: 49 (2000)
Vikings shutouts: None
Rams shutouts: None
TV: ESPN and ABC
Play-by-play: Joe Buck
Color analyst: Troy Aikman
Sideline reporters: Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge
Game moved
Monday’s game was originally scheduled for SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., but was moved to Arizona due to the ongoing wildfires in southern California.
It’s the first time an NFL playoff game has been relocated since 1936.
The Boston Redskins had been scheduled to host the Green Bay Packers in the 1936 championship game at Fenway Park.
Citing poor attendance during the regular season, Redskins owner George Preston Marshall decided to move the game to the Polo Grounds in New York City. The Packers won the championship game 21-6 in front of 29,545 spectators.
Marshall moved the team to Washington D.C. in 1937.
There have been two playoff games delayed due to snowstorms.
In 2016, a Divisional game between the Chiefs and Steelers in Kansas City was pushed from a Saturday to Sunday and last year, a Wild Card game in Buffalo and the Steelers was delayed from Sunday to Monday afternoon.
Playoff records
The Rams, whether they be in Los Angeles or St. Louis, are the most frequent playoff opponent for Minnesota. The teams are playing in the postseason for the eighth time, with the Vikings leading 5-2.
The Vikings have played the Cowboys seven times and the 49ers six times.
Here is the Vikings record vs. each playoff opponent. Teams are listed in alphabetical order according to where they currently play:
Arizona Cardinals 2-0
Atlanta Falcons 1-1
Chicago Bears 0-1
Cleveland Browns 1-0
Dallas Cowboys 3-4
Green Bay Packers 1-1
Indianapolis Colts 0-1
Kansas City Chiefs 0-1
Las Vegas Raiders 0-1
Los Angeles Rams 5-2
Miami Dolphins 0-1
New Orleans Saints 4-1
New York Giants 1-3
Philadelphia Eagles 0-4
Pittsburgh Steelers 0-1
San Francisco 49ers 1-5
Seattle Seahawks 0-1
Washington Commanders 2-3
Playoff summary
Overall record: 21-31
Wild Card Round: 7-8
Divisional Round: 10-13
Conference Championship: 4-6
Super Bowl: 0-4
14 wins
The Vikings are the first team with 14 or more wins to not win a division title and will become the first squad to play a road playoff game before a conference championship.
The only other three teams to win 14 or more games and play a road playoff game were:
1972 Miami Dolphins (won AFC Championship and Super Bowl VII to finish season 17-0)
1998 Atlanta Falcons (won the NFC Championship, and lost Super Bowl XXXIII to the Broncos
2004 New England Patriots (won AFC Championship and Super Bowl XXXIX)
Protégé vs. mentor
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell will be matched against his mentor, Sean McVay. Together they won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2021.
History doesn't favor O'Connell, as head coaches are 11-2 vs. former assistants in the playoffs in the past 20 seasons and 25-12 since 1960, according to NFL Research.
2021 repeat?
Minnesota will try to replicate the success of the 2021 Rams, who lost their final game of the regular season and finished as the No. 4 seed.
That squad, which included O'Connell as its offensive coordinator, multiple assistants and players, is the only participant in a 4-5 game to win the Monday Wild Card game and advance past the Divisional Round on the way to winning the Super Bowl.
That Rams team beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
Uniforms
The Vikings will wear their modern road uniform combo of white jerseys and purple pants.
The Rams will wear their blue jerseys and yellow pants.
Locker rooms
Despite being the home team, the Rams requested the use of the visitors locker room for Monday night because of the team's familiarity with it.
"We've for the most part played pretty well in this stadium and it's grass, too, which is a huge bonus," Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp told the Arizona Republic. "You'll take any chance you can to play on grass. I think Coach actually asked for the visitor locker room (because) we've spent so much time there, so it'll be more normal for us."
Since 2017, the Rams have gone 7-1 at State Farm Stadium, with all of those games being against the Cardinals. Their only loss was in Week 2 this season, a 41-10 defeat.
The Rams have an impressive all-time record at State Farm Stadium. Since the building opened in 2006, the Rams are 12-7 at the Cardinals’ home stadium.
The Vikings are 1-3 at the stadium, with all of those games also vs. the Cardinals. Minnesota won its first visit there in 2008 and has since lost in 2009, 2015 and 2021.
Pro Bowlers
The Vikings had six players named to the Pro Bowl this week and the Rams had one.
Here’s the list, with the number of selections for each player in parenthesis.
Minnesota
WR Justin Jefferson (4)
LS Andrew DePaola (3)
LB Jonathan Greenard (1)
LB Andrew Van Ginkel (1)
CB Byron Murphy Jr. (1)
QB Sam Darnold (1)
Los Angeles
Pro Bowlers: OLB Jared Verse (1)
Scores
All-time scores between the Vikings and Rams.
11-05-1961: Los Angeles Rams 31, Minnesota Vikings 17
12-03-1961: Minnesota Vikings 42, Los Angeles Rams 21
10-21-1962: Minnesota Vikings 38, Los Angeles Rams 14
11-25-1962: Minnesota Vikings 24, Los Angeles Rams 24 (tie)
10-20-1963: Los Angeles Rams 27, Minnesota Vikings 24
11-03-1963: Minesota Vikings 21, Los Angeles Rams 13
09-27-1964: Los Angeles Rams 22, Minnesota Vikings 13
11-29-1964: Minnesota Vikings 34, Los Angeles Rams 13
10-03-1965: Minnesota Vikings 38, Los Angeles Rams 35
11-07-1965: Minnesota Vikings 24, Los Angeles Rams 13
10-16-1966: Minnesota Vikings 35, Los Angeles Rams 7
11-20-1966: Los Angeles Rams 21, Minnesota Vikings 6
09-22-1967: Los Angeles Rams 39, Minnesota Vikings 3
12-01-1968: Los Angeles Rams 31, Minnesota Vikings 3
12-07-1969: Minnesota Vikings 20, Los Angeles Rams 13
12-27-1969: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 20 (NFL Western Conference Championship)
10-26-1970: Minnesota Vikings 13, Los Angeles Rams 3
11-19-1972: Minnesota Vikings 45, Los Angeles Rams 41
10-28-1973: Minnesota Vikings 10, Los Angeles Rams 9
11-24-1974: Los Angeles Rams 20, Minnesota Vikings 17
12-29-1974: Minnesota Vikings 14, Los Angeles Rams 10 (NFC Championship Game)
09-19-1976: Minnesota Vikings 10, Los Angeles Rams 10 (tie)
12-26-1976: Minnesota Vikings 24, Los Angeles Rams 13 (NFC Championship Game)
10-24-1977: Los Angeles Rams 35, Minnesota Vikings 3
12-26-1977: Minnesota Vikings 14, Los Angeles Rams 7 (NFC Divisional Playoff Game)
10-15-1978: Los Angeles Rams 34, Minnesota Vikings 17
12-31-1978: Los Angeles Rams 34, Minnesota Vikings 10 (NFC Divisional Playoff Game)
12-02-1979: Los Angeles Rams 27, Minnesota Vikings 21 (OT)
10-06-1985: Los Angeles Rams 13, Minnesota Vikings 10
09-20-1987: Minnesota Vikings 21, Los Angeles Rams 16
12-26-1988: Minnesota Vikings 28, Los Angeles Rams 17 (NFC Wild Card Game)
11-05-1989: Minnesota Vikings 23, Los Angeles Rams 21 (OT)
12-15-1991: Minnesota Vikings 20, Los Angeles Rams 14
11-29-1992: Minnesota Vikings 31, Los Angeles Rams 17
09-13-1998: Minnesota Vikings 38, St. Louis Rams 31
01-16-2000: St. Louis Rams 49, Minnesota Vikings 37 (NFC Divisional Playoff Game)
12-10-2000: St. Louis Rams 40, Minnesota Vikings 29
11-30-2003: St. Louis Rams 48, Minnesota Vikings 17
12-11-2005: Minnesota Vikings 27, St. Louis Rams 13
12-31-2006: St. Louis Rams 41, Minnesota Vikings 21
10-11-2009: Minnesota Vikings 38, St. Louis Rams 10
12-16-2012: Minnesota Vikings 36, St. Louis Rams 22
09-07-2014: Minnesota Vikings 34, St. Louis Rams 6
11-08-2015: Minnesota Vikings 21, St. Louis Rams 18 (OT)
11-19-2017: Minnesota Vikings 24, Los Angeles Rams 7
09-27-2018: Los Angeles Rams 38, Minnesota Vikings 31
12-16-2021: Los Angeles Rams 30, Minnesota Vikings 23
10-24-2024: Los Angeles Rams 30, Minnesota Vikings 20
Points scored: Minnesota Vikings 1092, Los Angeles Rams 1068
SOURCES: Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, National Football League, NFL Network, profootballreference.com, Wikipedia, Arizona Republic, The Associated Press.