Throughout the regular season, theRams.com will be taking a look around the internet for the top Rams headlines of the day. Here's a look at what's out there on Sunday, Jan. 12, about your Los Angeles Rams before their Wild Card matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday at 5 p.m. pacific time at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Experts make their predictions for Wild Card Weekend
Here's a collection of analysts' predictions and previews for Rams-Vikings:
- Three of NFL.com's five analysts picked the Rams to beat the Vikings on Monday. Read why Tom Blair chose the Rams here.
- Four of Sports Illustrated's six staffers picked the Rams to win against the Vikings in Arizona. All of their Wild Card predictions can be seen here.
- Two of ESPN's three experts chose the Rams to come out on top in the Wild Card round. Picks for every game can be viewed here.
Preview coverage from therams.com
- Stu Jackson on how the Rams are navigating the move to Arizona amid the wildfires
- "It's just a recognition that there's some things bigger than football and and we owe this to our community to make sure that this game can be played safely and not be a distraction. Heaven forbid a single home or car, or, God forbid, a human life was lost, because some asset was diverted to SoFi stadium, or that a firefighter who's been working nonstop for 10 days had to stay on the frontline to cover for a firefighter who had to go to SoFi stadium. Or, heaven forbid, a fire break out during the game, and people get an evacuation notice on their phone and have to leave. It's just not the right place to be holding the game." - Kevin Demoff
- Stu Jackson on safety John Johnson III returning from injured reserve
- "The Rams opened up a spot on the 53-man roster by placing running back Blake Corum on IR. Corum suffered a fractured forearm in last Sunday's regular season finale against the Seahawks that will sideline him for the playoffs." - Jackson
- Wyatt Miller on how the Rams beat Minnesota in Week 8 and the path to replicating that success
- "McVay's game plan utilized Stafford's quick processing against Minnesota's aggressiveness to access vulnerable areas in the defense. The key to beating Minnesota has been scheming against Flores' complicated, pressure-reliant defense. If the Vikings' front doesn't get home, the back end can be exposed." - Miller
- Wyatt Miller on top quotes and talking points from the podium discussing wildfires, Wild Card matchup
- "Similar to 2018 where you're standing out in the practice field and all of a sudden someone's (like), 'look at that,' and you look up there, and you're like, 'oh man, another one. And then you're like, wait a second, I live over there.'" - Rob Havenstein
Other preview coverage heading into Wild Card Weekend
- The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue on the Rams' last-minute travel arrangements to Arizona
- "I think (VP of football) Tony Pastoors put it best, 'hope is not a strategy.' Watching yesterday, the middle of practice when all hell broke loose — those players can't focus. They can't focus with their families (staying) behind."There is nothing that I hope more than that we are completely wrong about all of this. I would love for people on Monday to say that we could have played at SoFi. Because that would mean so many things have gone right for our community." - Demoff
- The LA Times' Gary Klein on the Rams' confidence entering the postseason
- "You can kind of see it in everybody's eyes — how much they want it. We know we need to take it one game at a time, that's no doubt. But the vision is a lot bigger for us. We see ourselves as a really big Super Bowl contender, and we want to live up to that expectation." - Quentin Lake
- Associated Press' Greg Beacham on how the Rams' offensive starters resting Week 18 could provide a boost in the playoffs
- "The last time we played these guys, we started fast and we executed well. It really comes down to putting the guys in the right spots and all 11 doing what they're supposed to do. ... I've liked the way that we finished games, but we have to be able to play a full four quarters if we expect to advance in this tournament, and we know that. There'll be that sense of urgency, and we're working to play as consistent as possible." - Sean McVay