There's a strong argument that the NFL has saved the best for last on Wild Card Weekend with a fantastic showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Rams earned the fourth seed for the NFC playoffs by virtue of winning the NFC West division after a wide-open competition with the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers this season.
Their 10-7 record was good enough to secure first place and they clinched the division with a week to spare, so were able to give their first-teamers a rest in Week 18.
The Rams knew they might have to face the losers of the almighty collision between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions last week if they lost their final game to the Seahawks and some observers have questioned head coach Sean McVay's decision not to try harder to secure an easier playoff path.
Perhaps some of McVay's confidence comes from the knowledge that his team beat the Vikings 30-20 at SoFi Stadium in the Thursday night game of Week 8 this season, but that was one of only three losses the men from Minneapolis suffered all year.
The Vikings had won nine successive games heading into last Sunday's 31-9 defeat in Detroit, when then they failed to score a touchdown despite reaching the red zone four times.
The teams were still separated by only one point until late in the third quarter, so the final scoreline was unrepresentative, but it could be hard for the Vikings to lift themselves after such a costly loss.
The oddsmakers are expecting a close battle with little between the teams in the match betting, while it is a contest that will feature two of the best wide receiver pairings in the league as Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua of the Rams go up against Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison of the Vikings.
Cooper Kupp over 48.5 receiving yards - 10/11
Puka Nacua led the way for the Rams in their victory over the Vikings earlier this season with 106 receiving yards, but veteran Cooper Kupp also had success and his receiving yards line for Monday's meeting is much less challenging at just 48.5 yards compared to 85.5 for Nacua.
Kupp was making his comeback after a month out due to injury in that October game but managed five receptions for 51 yards and he has averaged 59.2 receiving yards in the 12 games that he has started this season.
The 31-year-old was having a quiet end to the year even before sitting out the Week 18 game, but McVay would not have rested Kupp if he had no intention of using him this week and it would be no surprise to see him bouncing back to form in the playoffs.
Justin Jefferson anytime touchdown scorer - 1/1
The Vikings are blessed with one of the top wide receivers in the NFL in Justin Jefferson and he will be fired up to perform in LA after a frustrating night against the Lions.
Jefferson still managed to lead the team in receiving yards despite catching just three passes for 54 yards at Ford Field, but he was targeted nine times and was close to making a number of big plays.
The former LSU star had scored five touchdowns in his previous four games and will be itching to get back in the end zone.
He caught eight of the nine passes that came his way in the first meeting between the teams for 115 yards and the home defensive backs could have trouble stopping him scoring on Monday.
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Money Line | Spread | Over/Under | |
Rams | +1 - 10/11 | Under 48 - 10/11 | |
Vikings | -1 - 10/11 | Over 48 - 10/11 |
Over 48.0 points - 10/11
Picking a side in this matchup is not easy after both teams made life tough for themselves with their Week 18 losses that left them on a collision course this week.
The Rams were involved in three low-scoring affairs between their 86-point thriller against the Bills in Week 14 and the 30-25 loss for their second-string side against the Seahawks last week, but this could be another entertaining game between two high-class offences.
The last three meetings between the teams have produced 69, 53 and 50 points and they should be able to manage another half-century of points between them.
The Vikings' defence is much-improved this season but they have still given up at least 24 points in each of their last three games.
Even if the star wide receivers on show are well-marshalled, both teams have strong running backs too. Kyren Williams has led the way for the Rams with 1,299 rushing yards this season while Aaron Jones has racked up 1,138 for Minnesota.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.