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The Minnesota Vikings (5-1) travel to take on the Los Angeles Rams (2-4) to begin Week 8. Minnesota has started the season strong winning five consecutive games. However, they were handed their first loss on Sunday against the Lions, who defeated them 31-29.
Quarterback Sam Darnold has been excellent for the Vikings in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense, throwing 12 touchdowns to five interceptions entering Week 8. Minnesota’s defense ranks first in defensive DVOA at FTN entering tonight.
The Rams come into “Thursday Night Football” off a win after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 20-15 in Week 7. The Rams offense has struggled without their dynamic duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, but Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford will have reinforcements as Kupp is set to return.
The Rams’ toughest task on Thursday night will be trying to slow Justin Jefferson.
Here’s everything you need to know for the Rams vs. Vikings ‘TNF’ matchup in Week 8.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the matchup below.
Rams vs. Vikings start time
- Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
The Rams and Vikings game will kick off Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season with “Thursday Night Football” at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Rams vs. Vikings TV Channel
- Live stream: Amazon Prime Video
“Thursday Night Football” will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch “Thursday Night Football” with a Prime Video subscription
Rams vs. Vikings picks, predictions
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the “TNF” matchup between the Vikings and Rams will go:
- Lorenzo Reyes: Vikings 28, Rams 17
- Tyler Dragon: Vikings 26, Rams 20
- Richard Morin: Vikings 24, Rams 21
- Jordan Mendoza: Vikings 23, Rams 19
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NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
- Spread: Vikings (-2.5)
- Moneyline: Vikings (-145); Rams (+120)
- Over/under: 47.5
Not interested in this game? Our guide to NFL betting odds, picks and spreads has you covered with Thursday Night Football odds and Monday Night Football odds.
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NFC West standings
The Rams enter the Week 8 “TNF” showdown in last place in the NFC West. With a win tonight Los Angeles would move into third ahead of the 49ers whom they defeated in Week 3. They would remain behind the Cardinals who defeated them in Week 2 and currently own the tiebreaker.
- Seahawks 4-3
- Cardinals 3-4
- 49ers 3-4
- Rams 2-4
The Vikings enter the Week 8 “TNF” showdown in second place in the NFC North. The Lions defeated the Vikings last week and currently own the tiebreaker in the division.
- Lions 5-1
- Vikings 5-1
- Packers 5-2
- Bears 4-2
It’s going to be a clear night in Inglewood with a high of 68 degrees at kickoff and a low of 63 degrees at 9 p.m. PT. According to the Weather Channel, winds will max out at eight mph while chances of precipitation are under 3% for the entire game. The game will be played indoors at SoFi Stadium where the weather will have no effect.
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Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Prime Video, with Kaylee Hartung (sideline) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.
The Prime Video pregame, halftime and postgame shows feature Charissa Thompson as host, as well as former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth as analysts.
Taylor Rooks is the feature reporter for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage. Albert Breer provides reports and analysis.
These NFC opponents have met 47 times in history including seven playoff matchups. The Vikings lead the matchup all-time with a 27-18-2 record.
The most recent matchup was in December 2021 in Week 16 where the Rams were victorious in a 30-23 win on the road in Minnesota. The win helped carry the Rams’ momentum into the final two weeks of the season and into the playoffs where they ultimately won the Super Bowl over the Bengals.