Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Live right here on the early line on SportsGrid. We continue our reactions to Wild Card Weekend
00:06with one more game to go on this Monday night to figure out the final spot in the NFC entering
00:12the second round of the postseason. But DRS, before we get to Monday night out in the desert
00:17between the Rams and the Vikings, let's look at the AFC playoff bracket because everything has
00:22been decided on this side of the league. Saturday 4 30 p.m. Eastern time inside Arrowhead. The Chiefs
00:29truly begin that third Super Bowl title defense or at least they look for that third Super Bowl
00:36championship. They're more than a touchdown favorite at home against the Houston Texans
00:41and it all will culminate next weekend in the divisional round with a matchup that will
00:46certainly be as good as advertised in Buffalo. It's the Bills and the Ravens. Right now the
00:53ever so slight favorite but I'm talking eight cents of difference on the money line in favor
00:59of the Ravens. AFC championship odds at this moment. The Chiefs, DRS, the number one seed.
01:06Still the favorite. They'll have home field advantage. That AFC title still runs through
01:10Arrowhead. Baltimore again. An ever so slight road favorite in Western New York.
01:16Ten cents in front of Buffalo for those conference championship prices.
01:20Big win for Houston in H-Town on Saturday. Again the odds not overly optimistic the Texans can pull
01:27the upset in KC. No and this is why once again Ben you fight for that all-important number one
01:33overall seat to get the buy and then you can sit back with your popcorn after you win or let's just
01:37say win the football game and say man look at those two teams that got to tee it up. Thank goodness
01:41we don't have to play both of those. We're just gonna have to play one of them as long as we
01:45handle our business and understand this too from that graphic. You see the plus 130. That is correct
01:49on the Chiefs. They're home. They're gonna play a team. They're supposed to be by touchdown. That's
01:53why they're bet that way. Look at the Ravens plus 230 and the Bills plus 240. Understand this. They
01:58win that football game. Either one Ravens or Bills that doesn't oh yeah we just transfer the 240 and
02:03230 over to the next round like no. That drops basically to a pick them as maybe I didn't see
02:08the hypothetical lines if even having that what they're supposed to be. What's that line on either
02:12one of those teams going to Kansas City? Two? One? Somewhere around to pick them at that point like
02:17depending on how those games go maybe some injuries that play out. So I do agree the Chiefs
02:22should be favorites but the winner of that Ravens Bills game they're basically going to be a coin
02:26flip against the Chiefs in their own building. A sensational AFC championship game as long as
02:32Kansas City wins this weekend you are set up for an absolutely epic championship Sunday in the AFC.
02:38But for me I agree with the pricing there. That's the way it should be. I want to see how much of an
02:43MVP effort out of those two quarterbacks which is going to take next weekend to get them into
02:47the AFC championship game. And also the attrition Ben that we talk about like Kansas City's resting
02:52they're going to get an opponent they should be. You're now looking at the Buffalo Bills and the
02:55Baltimore Ravens full gas full go toe-to-toe and the survivor gets Kansas City on the road in
03:02another game the next week. So advantage Kansas City right now but that's going to be a fun one
03:06to see how it finishes up. A dollar in front of the Ravens. A dollar and 10 cents in front of
03:13Buffalo to Donnie's point. What would a projected line then be for an AFC championship game in
03:19Arrowhead? Less than a field goal at least in my estimation. Probably not a three and a hook
03:26out there for KC against Buffalo or Kansas City against Baltimore. We are going to have some
03:32rematches regardless if the Chiefs do knock off the Texans on Saturday afternoon. Again KC more
03:38than a touchdown favorite. Hasn't been great for Kansas City covering numbers. We're laying that
03:43many points throughout this season but the Chiefs of course in pole position. Even DRS reaching the
03:49AFC championship game would be a small bit of history for the Chiefs. Eight previous teams
03:54have won back-to-back Super Bowls in the history of the NFL. Never have any of those eight previous
04:01two-time champs made it even to a Super Bowl. Only three times have the previous eight even earned
04:07the right to contend in a conference championship matchup. The Chiefs looking to make history in
04:14numerous ways this year. Let me get your thoughts quickly on the marquee matchup already for the
04:19divisional round. The Ravens and the Bills. You mentioned it. Two MVP contenders. Lamar Jackson
04:25first team AP All-Pro. A good sign that maybe Lamar is going to win his second consecutive
04:30MVP award but Josh Allen and Buffalo going to have a lot to say about that. It will be the
04:37final of four games in the divisional round and the Ravens are a slight money line favorite at this
04:44moment. DRS do you believe that even Baltimore should be having a couple of extra cents as a
04:49slight money line favorite in Orchard Park? I do and you know it's funny like Zay Flowers missed
04:54that football game and I said you know what that's actually a good thing for the Ravens because they
04:58won't get out of what they're supposed to do in the playoffs which is run the football and use the
05:01pass just to hammer that home. If Zay Flowers misses this football game as stupid as it sounds
05:06as a handicapper that makes me like the Buffalo Bills even more. Just take a picture of that game
05:11you just played against the Steelers and use that same formula you'll beat the Buffalo Bills. It's
05:16not hard. We end out wild card weekend our sixth and final matchup a Monday night football finale
05:23tonight in Glendale Arizona between the Rams and the Vikings. Of course let's start there with the
05:29location of tonight's game. Of course not where we expected this game to be even a week ago but
05:35as devastating and tragic wildfires continue to rage on in multiple spots in the greater Los
05:41Angeles area the NFL made this call on Thursday night to move the game officially to Glendale
05:47Arizona at the home of the Arizona Cardinals. Still billed as a home game for the LA Rams
05:55that's where this will be played on a Monday. Before we get to the game we send all of our
06:00thoughts and our love to everybody in Los Angeles. This show this program the early line
06:06airs out in Los Angeles on a daily basis. We are thinking of all of you. Long path to recovery
06:13continues. Winds are supposed to pick up on this Friday those first responders the firefighters DRS
06:20doing the very difficult task of still battling these wildfires right now which led to the
06:25location of this wildcard game to be moved out to Arizona. Yes and also watching some of the
06:32pictures like we see the devastation but you talk about like the first responders how about the true
06:35first responders the people actually defending their own homes seeing them walk on the roofs
06:40with basically just a small hose here when they bought fires are on either side of their house.
06:45I can't imagine the trauma and just the days and the exhaustion of just protecting your own like
06:50we talk about you get your car banged up a little bit oh what a struggle it is just to get that
06:53fix. Can you imagine losing not only your house but every single thing in that house there and yes
06:58most people will be walking away saying you know what at least I have my family. I can't imagine
07:02the devastation of losing everything you have and also Ben the slow burn of watching it actually go
07:07down where some people haven't evacuated like you know it's right next door and now my house is gone
07:11as well. I just can't imagine that trauma so certainly it's been pointed out thinking of all
07:15the people first responders all the way through homeowners anybody out there evacuees maybe
07:20tonight you get a little bit of a reprieve because you can watch your favorite football
07:23team play a game and cheer them on but my goodness the minute that game is over you go back to
07:28reality and that's the tough part. Even a state away with the Rams technically billed as the home
07:33team tonight in Arizona it will be an emotional Monday night no doubt about it now to the actual
07:39game to end out wild card weekend the Vikings were a road favorite even with the game originally
07:44scheduled for SoFi Stadium the number now two and a half in favor of the Vikes in Glendale total 47
07:52and a hook we did see the line work back to the Vikings ever so slightly when the destination of
07:58this game was moved. I'll just say this the Rams don't exactly have the best home field advantage
08:04it's a destination for opposing fan bases and many that love the Vikes would love to get out of
08:10Minneapolis or Minnesota this time of year and head to Southern California so I don't really take
08:16a lot of stock in this game now being in Glendale not a true home environment for Los Angeles it
08:22changes the logistics for both teams in terms of their preparation. Let's talk about the football
08:27teams against one another how do you think they match up tonight DRS to end out wild card weekend?
08:34Look home field advantage is big and I know a lot of people say like and again you're rightfully so
08:38Minnesota fan base travels really well they would have a meet look who knows if even who would have
08:42more fans in the building as crazy as that sounds because LA still trying to build their fan bases
08:46up only being back in the city for a few years but understand this home field advantage is much
08:50more Ben when you get to sleep in your own bed you get to take your car to the stadium you're in
08:54your home locker room the other team is traveling and you're not now all of a sudden you expected to
08:58get that advantage to yourself and now you're going on the road when Minnesota always knew Ben
09:02they were going to travel and whether or not they were traveling to LA or Arizona or Philadelphia
09:06it didn't matter they were on the road so that certainly says something to it and understanding
09:10just the you know thought process of we're playing in another field we don't get a home field
09:14advantage but also I'm worried about my family I'm worried about my house like I'm worried about
09:18everything back home and I still have to play a football game now the Rams are doing everything
09:22they could with Stan Kroenke the owner flying down multiple planes of family members even pets
09:27making these players feel as home as possible but they understand they're not really home at this
09:32point that's a succinct advantage now to Minnesota also understand this you're going to an environment
09:36which is still a dome that certainly does help the Vikings and the Rams so from a play perspective
09:41typically you'd say okay let's just say the Rams home field advantage was something and the crowd
09:45was loud you're now operating with two teams technically on the road but really not in that
09:50road environment which means the crowd won't be as loud the two dome teams playing in a dome I
09:54actually think that helps the total more than anything because neither team is really gonna
09:58be up against it when they have the football that should help out I do think Minnesota to me is the
10:03better football team and should bounce back in that game from Detroit but I'm looking for a pretty good
10:07effort here the one thing I love about it is you saw the Rams the final game of the season rest
10:13their key players which is so big you saw the Vikings not having the chance to rest their
10:17players because they were playing in a Super Bowl of the NFC North which again we're wondering how
10:22they bounce back at the same point if we won that game we're home we have a bye we might be able to
10:26make it to the Super Bowl now doing it on the road so I do think some of that stuff evens out
10:30but for me I think it impacts maybe the total more than anything because that not having the
10:34true home field environment for one team we have not seen a ton of offense throughout wild card
10:40weekend only our first game of five throughout Saturday and Sunday in Houston between the
10:46Chargers and the Texans pushed to the over 32 to 12 total was 41 and a half that was 44 points
10:53again we have not seen a ton of offense highest total of the entirety of the opening round was
10:59last night on a Sunday in Tampa 51 and a hook it stayed well under with the commanders winning
11:0623 to 20 this number 47 and a half DRS Minnesota is a 14 and 3 football team that has to be a
11:16wild card team when all is said and done because the only team in front of them playing in their
11:21same division the Detroit Lions the Vikings also behind the Lions in terms of cover percentage
11:27Detroit 12 and 5 ATS this year Minnesota's second best cover team 11-5 in one against the spread
11:35but the Rams as an underdog have been pretty darn good with Matthew Stafford under center
11:41since week number five because through the first five games this year for Los Angeles
11:46they started one in four and then they won nine of their next 11 including a short week
11:52Thursday night game week number seven that the Rams turn things around against the Vikings or
11:59perhaps week number eight regardless short week Thursday night in LA the Rams won outright as a
12:06two and a half point underdog against Minnesota 30 to 20 in a game that featured a total of 46
12:13and a half those numbers way back for that Thursday night football game in October looked
12:19very similar to the numbers tonight out in Arizona two and a half point spread in favor of the
12:25Vikings a total at 47 and a half we will continue to break this game down with the player prop
12:33perspective as well next on the early line live right here on the early line on sports grid it's
12:39a Monday to kick off a new week but a Monday night football finale to end out the opening
12:44round of the NFL postseason wild card weekend tonight in Glendale Arizona it's the Rams
12:50playing host to the Minnesota Vikings again the game moved because of the dangerous wildfires
12:55continuing to rage in Los Angeles two and a half points spread in favor of the Vikings with a total
13:02at 47 and a hook DRS we have talked about this game now let's dive into the players that will
13:08impact the outcome directly otherwise known as the prop market you mentioned it Minnesota was
13:14playing for a divisional championship last weekend the Vikings hoping for a number one seed the buy
13:19and home field advantage they came up short in Detroit because of the worst performance in a
13:25Vikings uniform by Sam Darnold season low completion percentage season low passing yardage
13:32output did not throw an interception but also did not throw a touchdown his number tonight against
13:38LA 264 and a half on the other side the veteran Matthew Stafford 242 and a hook you can see the
13:46numbers that are pretty similar everywhere else how do you compare these two quarterbacks tonight
13:51in this Monday night football finale to wild card weekend both should have success but I'm looking
13:56for that bounce back from Sam Darnold who had a bad performance against Detroit and Kevin O'Connell
14:01who's going to be up for that coach of the year I know it's already been voted on and it doesn't
14:04count in the playoffs but you can't tell him he's going to have back-to-back horrible performances
14:08there because Sam Darnold has been great this entire season wasn't great last week but that
14:12was a tough environment in Detroit fans going nuts a big Super Bowl stage maybe it was a little bit
14:17too big but it's good that he got a piece of that last week said you know what didn't play my best
14:21going on the road against a team of a lesser defense to me with the Rams I should be able to
14:25provide and that's up to the coach but it honestly if we're saying Donny which quarterback do you
14:29trust more of course it's going to be Matthew Stafford been there done that done it longer
14:33and has a Super Bowl championship he's not going to buckle in that environment he's got a couple
14:36great wide receivers and a running back but for me if I'm betting statistics here I'm expecting
14:41that Vikings defense to return excuse me Vikings offense to return to what they've been doing over
14:46the season to opposing defenses I like the over one and a half touchdowns it's way more expensive
14:50on Darnold than Sam than Stafford but I do believe that also anytime interception he's going to throw
14:55one I'd probably bet that as well for Darnold but I look for a better performance in the air
14:59over 264 multiple touchdown passes but those probably mix in an interception again last week
15:0518 of 41 166 yards both of those season lows are season worst no touchdowns no int
15:14Sam Darnold played such clean football relatively down the back end of this season seven of the
15:20eight entering the regular season finale last Sunday night in the Motor City multiple touchdowns
15:26and was throwing the ball well 18 touchdowns I believe to two int's Matthew Stafford this Rams
15:33team has been interesting in the ways they have found variety ways to win he's been under this
15:39number in four of the last five the only time over in that shootout against the Buffalo Bills but in
15:45the final three wins for LA week 15 16 17 low scoring games where the defense allowed a total
15:53of 24 points well under these numbers for Stafford a guy that got a lot of usage
16:00in the defensive grinded outwind for the Rams to make sure they could win the NFC West that
16:07was Kyron Williams 81 and a half his number tonight Aaron Jones slightly banged up last
16:13week perhaps wasn't a huge factor of the Vikings offense in Detroit what do you expect out of the
16:19backs in this matchup Aaron Jones is the factor tonight also take a look at Cam Akers a little
16:25bit under the weather not practicing due to an illness also you look for the entirety of the
16:28season Aaron Jones was wonderful doesn't get the ball a ton as if like a Saquon Barkley or Derek
16:33Henry but he hasn't been himself the past couple weeks with that thigh injury getting a full
16:37practice in in his last practice I'm expecting him to be used because key if you watch the Detroit
16:42game he was missing those explosive plays not using him in the red zone throwing a little bit
16:46too much he's the key to the offense but usually it's Justin Jefferson or the quarterback itself
16:50now I actually think it's Aaron Jones if he gets over 59 and a half rushing yards tonight that
16:55really bodes well for the Minnesota Vikings winning this game so he is my key to the offense
17:00tonight and I do think he excels he's going to be used tonight because why once again Ben there is
17:04no tomorrow there's no saving your running back for the next weekend if it takes 20 carries out
17:08of Aaron Jones tonight to get that done he's going to need to do it I like his numbers tonight
17:13and when you look at the receivers tonight DRS pick your poison it's as good as you will find
17:18Justin Jefferson Jordan Addison Pukanukuwa might we see Cooper Cupp step up once more yeah where
17:24are you Coop yeah exactly we did that again you're looking at the offense just told you it's Aaron
17:28Jones it's not actually Pukanukuwa we know he's going to be there if we're getting nothing again
17:33from Cooper Cupp they're not winning this game we need Cooper Cupp of two years ago seven catches
17:3880 yards and a touchdown at a minimum tonight to win this game where he at Cooper we're looking
17:43for you DRS the last three games for LA because they rested all their starters in the regular
17:49season finale fewer than 30 receiving yards each and every time our three our third and final next
17:56we welcome you to our number three our third and final bright and early here on this Monday morning
18:02to kick off a new week it is the early line on sports grid he is Donnie right side I am Ben
18:08Stevens one more hour to go still to break down each and every angle of our Monday night football
18:14finale to wild card weekend the Vikings and the Rams tonight in Arizona Minnesota a short favorite
18:21against Los Angeles with a total at 47 and uh-huh we'll hear from you how you approach Monday night
18:28football we'll hear from TV Tom Vecchio how he approaches Monday night football you'll get some
18:34picks and some best bets from Donnie and I and we'll get the injury analysis and insight at the
18:41end of wild card weekend the field views for tonight from the pro football doc Dr. David Chau
18:46as well yes and I'm excited for this game tonight we should have some excitement here of course
18:51because that total close to 50 at this point 47 and a half a spread that's under three two teams
18:56obviously looking to advance the winner will play in Philadelphia on Sunday at 3 p.m eastern
19:01so for me being an Eagles fan getting to watch this game a little self-scouting out here just
19:06see who's doing what is anybody getting banged up any key players stepping to the table but I think
19:10we got a pretty clean effort tonight in a not by the way it's not gonna be a sterile environment
19:15like hey you just have to move this game on short notice there's 2,000 fans it's gonna be a lot
19:19of fans in this game it'll be interesting who they actually cheer for and who it affects more
19:23but I think we got a really good game on a standalone primetime game to end wild card weekend
19:28yeah I do as well DRS it should be a lot of fun on this Monday night an emotional night as well
19:34of course with the game move from Los Angeles to Arizona because of the continuously burning and
19:39devastating wildfires out in the greater LA area but again sometimes sports can be that reprieve
19:47sometimes sports can provide that distraction that joy back to your life both the Rams and the
19:52Vikings will hope to do that with an entertaining game to end out the opening round of the NFL
19:57postseason from the wagering perspective what is the best bet for this Monday night football finale
20:03you tell us and fade the public
20:13a very intriguing fade the public poll at sports grid on twitter what is the best bet for tonight's
20:19NFL playoff game between the Vikings and the Rams Minnesota as a two and a half point favorite the
20:25Rams getting two and a half points is it the over or the under of that total of 47 and a hook in DRS
20:33it seems as though the public is mainly trying to figure out which side they like more most of the
20:39public a little bit more than 39% backing the Rams as the underdog I would assume also a sprinkle on
20:45that outright money line price as well or laying less than a field goal with the Vikes 36% only 13%
20:54on the over nearly 12% on the under so pretty even there but not as much attention to that total of
21:0247 and a hook the public really DRS trying to figure out is it Minnesota or is it LA yeah no
21:09it's pretty good too because you're taking a look at two evenly matched teams as we said you're
21:12removing home field advantage out of the equation that's what you're getting 36% and 39% respectively
21:18between the Vikings and the Rams for me I did take the Vikings at minus two and a half I'm expecting
21:22a bounce back effort in this game for them and maybe also the Rams who are coming in a little
21:27bit more rested than the Vikings but a lot more on their minds with the fires going on in the game
21:31actually being relocated them worrying about their family and their houses and rightfully so here at
21:36this point so for me it's still going to be the Vikings at minus two and a half the total which
21:39is interesting too 13% to roughly 12% here on the over under it shows that usually when you get
21:45that decided effort out of the public's like oh a little bit weary too many too easy at this point
21:50on a two and a half point line but we're showing up here it looks like Vegas as we like to say
21:54nailed that line and also that side and that's why we're getting votes so close right now
21:59open to two and a half in favor of Minnesota when the game was originally slated of course
22:04for Los Angeles inside so five stadium early last week we saw some buy-in to the Rams despite
22:11most of the public money on the fan duel sports book still backing the Vikes in terms of the
22:17spread a lot of the public or at least a little bit more of the public likes LA in our poll but
22:22Donnie still 64% of the money in terms of the spread bets with the Vikings 66% of the bets on
22:30the spread overall still with the Vikings the Rams since the end of week five in a one and four
22:37start as the early portion of the season for Los Angeles plagued by injuries Puka Nikua Cooper Cup
22:44basically everybody on the o-line trying to protect the veteran in Matthew Stafford it was not
22:50a great start to the year but then the Rams won nine of their next 11 a week eight matchup short
22:56week Thursday night football at home against Minnesota that saw the Rams in a two and a half
23:02point underdog win outright that really the turning point of LA season I remember breaking
23:08down that game with you being like if the Rams have any hope whatsoever of having yet another
23:13dramatic turnaround as we saw a season ago in 2023 it really starts tonight with a victory over
23:20the Vikings who started off perfect five and oh and then after the loss on that short week Thursday
23:25night game in LA had dropped to straight Minnesota then went on to win a ton in a row in fact
23:33nine straight before the regular season finale last Sunday against Detroit but Donnie both of
23:39these teams have been really good this year where they find themselves in terms of the spread
23:45including that short week Thursday night game against the Vikings since week five on with
23:50Matthew Stafford starting the Rams are both three and one straight up and against the spread as an
23:57underdog Minnesota 11 five and one against the spread overall this season and the Vikings have
24:04largely been booked as a favorite really since week number four of this season should be a good
24:11game tonight the public is telling you so not exactly sure who they want to lay most of their
24:16wagers on and less than a field goal spread and that wild card weekend yeah and that's what we're
24:23getting here this is why you're in the playoffs here evenly matched opponents going toe to toe
24:26the one question I guess you could possibly have is we took a look at the Philadelphia Eagles
24:30yesterday boy how can they lose this game a couple weeks off for Jalen Hurts maybe comes
24:34back rusty he did but they still won the football game and he played well when it mattered we look
24:38at Sam Darnold facing that adversity of not playing well on the road last week against Detroit did he
24:44turn into a pumpkin can he bounce back out of it because the one thing you do know is this game has
24:48a lot to do with psychology in your head and how motivated you are to play good in that football
24:53game and sometimes it's just that I didn't play well how do I bounce back or is it boy we missed
24:57a lot of open throws to Justin Jefferson and let's just say in this game Minnesota's driving
25:02on a key third and four in the red zone Justin Jefferson runs that quick slant and that ball is
25:06not where it's supposed to be instead of a touchdown it turns into an incomplete pass or
25:10worse an interception and does that actually snowball on Sam Darnold I'm betting against that
25:15I think he's a good enough quarterback here to go up against his defense and move the football
25:18with a lot of weapons and I'm going to trust what I saw on the season out of Sam Darnold and the
25:23Vikings as it pertains to tonight but those are the angles that I'm looking at and I think Sam
25:27Darnold will have a bounce back performance in a good direction tonight yeah entering that regular
25:32season finale DRS six of the previous seven games Darnold multiple touchdown passes in that span
25:38in the seven game span 18 TDs to only two INTs Matthew Stafford hasn't thrown for more than two
25:45bills now in three consecutive starts as the Rams have relied on their young and ever-improving
25:52defense we saw the Lions bring a ton of pressure against Sammy D last Sunday night only sacked him
25:59twice but you could tell it messed up his timing and rhythm the Rams are going to look to do that
26:04with that young defensive line anchored by Jared Verse the rookie out of Florida State but guys
26:10like Byron Young Brendan Fisk a ton for this LA defense that can get to the quarterback tonight
26:17and Donnie as we talk props yet again you said it right before the break Cooper Cup might be the
26:22x-factor for LA 48 and a half is the number in the first game against Minnesota we saw Puka Dekua
26:30over 100 yards Cooper Cup more than 50 and a receiving score there have been times this year
26:36not all that many together but times this year when the Rams offense on full display
26:42is both Dekua and Cup getting there yes and that needs to happen tonight can't be one dimension
26:48I put look Puka is one of the best young wide receivers in the sport here but Cooper Cup needs
26:52to be activated tonight and active in that football game we can't again can't be 25 or 30
26:57yards or less he's got to be the old Cooper Cup if you want to win playoff games against opponents
27:01I believe are just a little bit better than you are yep absolutely so we'll continue to break
27:07down for Monday night out in the desert a little bit later on in this hour we continue to break
27:13down and preview the Monday night finale at a wild card weekend tonight in Glendale Arizona
27:19between the Rams and the Vikings two and a half points spread in favor of Minnesota total stands
27:25at 47 and a hook DRS we didn't really talk a ton about the total as we started this third hour
27:31because in the fate of the public poll it was mostly the public trying to determine
27:35would they lay less than a field goal with the Vikes would they back the Rams as the underdog
27:40a little bit more love for the over than the under but really only about 24 25 percent of the entire
27:47vote even on the total of 47 and a hook four of the first five games during wild card weekend
27:55well under are only over first game on Saturday the Texans winning 32 to 12 total was 41 and a
28:04half it eats over because of a late chargers score we haven't seen a ton of offensive production
28:10throughout the opening round of this postseason might that change tonight out in the desert
28:15it could be and by the way what are some of the uh common denominators here cam commanders in the
28:20box 23 20 outdoors packers eagles 22 10 outdoors bills broncos 31 7 outdoors steelers ravens 24 14
28:27outdoors 32 12 over indoor game between the chargers and the texans it's one of the things
28:34that you know we look at from separating seasons as i like to say early in the season teams still
28:39trying to get underway but getting warmer temperatures everybody's healthy now you have
28:42the battle attrition not only for the season-long tendencies we have a lot of tape there sometimes
28:47you're worried about playing in colder environments that some teams might not be used to we're now
28:51going to get two dome teams playing in a dome which what was the only game that went over two
28:56dome teams playing in a dome in wild card weekend i'm not saying that's a direct correlation and
29:01yes because two dome teams are playing in a dome it goes over but one of the things we always worry
29:05about is it going to be rain is it going to be snow showers is it going to be cold how's that
29:09going to play out because the hits hit harder feels like in the cold and how you recover from
29:13those is a little bit easier in a controlled environment so i do think it helps for the total
29:1847 and a half is a key number most people like to say under the 47s at that point but i do think
29:23both of these offenses with quarterbacks that let it rip with wonderful offensive coordinators i think
29:28it just makes sense that it leans towards the over for me yeah i'm trying to figure out the total i
29:33think we could see a slower start i think there will be some great live betting opportunities
29:38to maybe get to an over are we going to see five or six games under with our really highest
29:43scoring game from a total perspective the 44 points i'm not so sure i do think we see some
29:51offense tonight the first time these two teams played drs back on a short week thursday night
29:56game in week number eight we didn't go over a pre-game total of 46 and a half with 50 combined
30:02points the rams winning outright is a two and a half point dog 30 to 20 in both quarterbacks a
30:07big reason why matthew stafford 279 yards four touchdowns sam donald 240 yards and two touchdowns
30:18combining to throw six touchdowns in the game not sure we see the same production tonight but what
30:24do you make of the quarterbacks yeah i do think both of these quarterbacks will have aggressive
30:29game plans coming in because let's understand like defense is better typically here on minnesota side
30:34for me for the season as it plays out but what do you have been again we just talked about the dome
30:38environment here to help these both of these quarterbacks that are used to playing in domes
30:42also elite talent at the wide receiver position and wonderful play callers it lines up for both
30:48of these quarterbacks should have success but just getting back to the notion i do think sam donald
30:52throws two touchdown passes i also think justin jefferson catches one of those touchdown passes
30:57and it's not a lot 264 242 seems like a lot in the playoffs because you've seen some of those
31:01quarterbacks booked around the 212 215 number but nothing should shut these quarterbacks down from
31:06being aggressive where the coaches are coming and saying you know what i don't know if i trust my
31:10quarterback in the biggest spots here no i'm expecting full ghost gas game plans particularly
31:15because the rams were waiting and rested with their top players understanding who they were
31:19going to play in this football game and from the opposite side of it you're looking for a bounce
31:23back effort for minnesota that was in a tough environment that maybe learned something from
31:27playing a pseudo playoff game last week and now have a second chance to try to overcome what those
31:32difficulties were in that first game there i do think we get some offense i'm trusting both of
31:36these quarterbacks in this game only scored nine points last week did minnesota aaron jones dealing
31:43with a quad contusion from the week prior still got 10 carries but for only about 45 yards cam
31:49acres the former ram was actually minnesota's leading rusher last week in detroit finishing
31:54with 65 aaron jones's numbers tonight against la you see them on the screen kyle williams now minus
32:01145 to hit pater best price of any player in this game to score a touchdown scored a touchdown in
32:08the first six games for la then did not score in four consecutive enters this game didn't play of
32:15course in the regular season finale having scored in five of his final six entering this matchup
32:21tonight against the vikings even more from a prop perspective with tv tom vecchio of sports grid
32:28that's next we welcome you back to the early line on this monday live right here across the sports
32:34grid network one final football game to wild card weekend to end out the opening round of the nfl
32:41postseason before maybe the best weekend of football all year that is the division around
32:46the final spot available in the nfc of the four teams on that side of the conference to be
32:52determined tonight between the vikings and the rams out in glendale arizona to help us make sense
32:58of it all from a prop perspective what the numbers are telling us entering this monday night finale
33:05it's tv tom vecchio of sports grid live right here on the early line tom as always thank you so much
33:11for taking the time to join us here to start off a new week of course thanks for having me
33:16we are in for another great game tonight i know these haven't been the most exciting games but
33:20that just means take a lot of unders as we are you know in wildcard weekend i think that's what
33:25we should be expecting teams playing things super close to the vest uh super straightforward they're
33:30not taking these random shots in terms of offensive play calling we have seen mistakes
33:33from a lot of teams but it leads to profitability when you look on the side of unders that doesn't
33:38mean i love all unders today there are actually a few overs that i like for this game i'm ready to
33:42go we have seen a lot of unders so far throughout the opening round four of the five matchups
33:49under our highest scoring game 44 points that was scored between the texans and the chargers
33:57way back in the opener on saturday tonight's total 47 and a half in just a two and a half
34:03point spread in favor of the vikings taking on the rand vecchio we haven't also seen many close games
34:12outside of sunday night yesterday in tampa between the commanders and the buccaneers but
34:17the odds makers expecting a tight game tonight out in the desert with a relatively high total
34:23at least based on the opening round of the postseason so far what are the numbers telling
34:28you for monday night football between minnesota and los angeles i think the rams win i do i'm
34:34on the rams at plus two and a half i think we're looking at like a 24 to 20 kind of final i think
34:40it'll be pretty close we're gonna see a good amount of scoring maybe even a little bit lower
34:43than that maybe a 21 17 i think the rams will come away with the victory frankly what the vikings
34:49showed last week is terrible it really was and i think it leads me to a specific game script for
34:56the vikings and that that does lead to some overs when it comes to sam donald some of their offensive
35:00players i think we can look there the ram side of things i actually think it's it's pretty tough uh
35:05kyron williams lines are are super high same thing with poopin aku i think they're super refined i
35:09don't have a whole lot of interest in going there i think it carries for kyron williams could be
35:12fine but i think we're gonna see some scoring from the ram side of things and we will see the vikings
35:17playing catch-up uh when it comes to the game script overall two dome teams playing in a dome
35:22neutral environment tonight last week not really happy with what we saw out of sam donah wasn't
35:27very good against detroit a chance to bounce back but also understanding matthew stafford is going
35:32to be playing in this football game with his play caller mcveigh who's wonderful we know that and
35:36also healthy and rested and maybe we see more a little about cooper cup but let's get to the
35:40quarterbacks itself 242 and a half is matthew stafford's prop sam donald's updated is 264 and
35:46a half the touchdown passes usually typically listed at the fans of sports we'll get over one
35:50and a half juiced with matthew stafford at 114 much more juice on sam donald at 168 how are you
35:55attacking the quarterback position tonight tom as i said donald did not look good last week right 18
36:0241 when it comes to his passing what's the most important thing if the vikings were to win this
36:06game do they want to go into next week at philadelphia saying oh it was great that aaron
36:11jones had over you know 20 carries and 100 yards on the ground and sam donald ended with 150 yards
36:17like no they need to have the the confidence on offense to say sam donald can go punch for punch
36:22with an eagles offense and they need to build that confidence so what does that lead to it leads to
36:26the vikings pushing things into a passing game script tonight because if they were to beat the
36:30eagles hypothetically which i don't think will happen they have to then go head to head with the
36:33lions and again having a strong running game against the lions is not the way to beat them
36:38it's going punch for punch with golf and that offense and that leads to more and more passing so
36:42donald building the confidence on the entire offense via the passing game is what has to
36:47happen tonight so donald over 33 and a half passing attempts is where i think things will
36:52lean can we look to the completions sure can you look to the yards sure donnie in the last segment
36:57over on one and a half passing touchdowns also totally fine but it has to start with them moving
37:02the ball in the air now we can look to oh we can say oh he's been passing line it's going to go to
37:07justin jefferson it's going to go to addison hockinson whatever it might be but it has to
37:11start with donald being productive tonight still 41 attempts last week for sam donald in that
37:17regular season finale in the motor city just 18 completions his season worst completion percentage
37:24in week number 18 there was some question becky about the minnesota running back erin jones
37:31entering last week quad contusion still was out there 10 carries 45 yards it was actually the
37:37former ran though cam acres less attempts six but more yards 65 on the ground as you look at erin
37:44jones and kyron williams on the other side for la how do you compare these two running backs tonight
37:51so kyron williams i think he could absolutely get there i think the i think it's 94 for his
37:56rushing plus receiving combined i think that's totally in play as well uh for erin jones you
38:00know specifically i like him under 14 and a half attempts this plays into the fact that a he's maybe
38:05not fully healthy cam makers is going to continue to play a role for the vikings c you know five
38:10six seven carries wherever might be not not a high amount but again also i'm expecting passing from
38:14the vikings and that's just going to lead to fewer attempts from uh from jones overall as i said i do
38:19expect the vikings to be playing from behind i think the rams will be winning the vikings have
38:22to pass the ball so it's kind of all building into one thing for me where they have to get the
38:26confidence going from darnell and it's just going to lead to fewer carries for jones overall and
38:31again he's not fully healthy with squad issue dating back a couple of weeks at this point
38:36let's take a look at the pass catchers here tom because it's easy to focus on justin jefferson
38:39awesome wide out puka nikua equally but one guy who used to be awesome was cooper cup he's listed
38:46at 48 and a half at the fans of sportsbook which back in the day which is like two years ago that's
38:50like his first half total because of how dominant he was has disappeared as of late is cooper cup
38:56somebody that you'll be looking towards betting tonight or just you can't trust on based on the
39:00previous outcomes that we've seen over the past few games i think my favorite answer for this
39:05would be or like the ideal answer would be like let's lay off of him to start and let's get an
39:11in-game number because if that in-game number drops to let's say 39 maybe the rams do fall
39:16behind and they have to pass the ball you know puka nikua is going to see his action but like
39:19cooper cup could still break off these 15 20 yard catches to the sideline as we've seen time and
39:24time again you know him getting over one defender under the safety whatever might be and sit uh and
39:29stafford always looks to him so i think we can look there as an in-game number for cooper cup
39:34to be one of my favorites when it comes to the ram side of things i don't want to have interest
39:38in puka i just think that line is too high he'd absolutely get there but i'm just i missed the
39:41boat on the early line so no i no pun intended but love that or or absolutely pun intended highest
39:49number tonight is puka nikua at 91 and a half even north of that of justin jefferson plenty
39:56on the other side of course vecchio for minnesota you expect sam donald to air it out a ton tonight
40:03who then would you look at as one of his top targets i think jordan addison over four and
40:08a half receptions is is receptions i just generally don't go to the receiving guards
40:12more so i think receptions for addison will be fine uh some some of those underneath options
40:16if jefferson is covered deep i think it's great but t.j hodgson i specifically like tonight over
40:2044 and a half receiving guards throughout the regular season the rams allowed 1101 receiving
40:26guards for opposing tight ends that was the third most in the league they also allowed seven
40:30touchdowns which was tied for the fifth most so there is some defensive inefficiency when it comes
40:34to their linebackers their safeties covering tight ends and again if they're uh diverting
40:39extra effort to adjust jefferson or addison that underneath option for hodgson really could be
40:43there tonight yeah any sort of if we take a look at i don't i was gonna oh there you there look
40:49tom's top profit there b double s we're getting after here thanks for help from our trusty
40:53producer behind the scenes on the late one minute call here though we got plenty of time tom give
40:58me an underrated player tonight give me an underrated player tonight that we can look at
41:02this you know what some people might not be focusing on that you think might have a good game tonight
41:07tyler higbie right everyone's gonna be focusing on kyrie williams props we're gonna look at maybe
41:12it is a breakout game for cooper cup but tyler higbie coming back late in the season a little
41:16bit of postseason redemption buying to that storyline from last season when he got hurt like
41:20maybe he kept like there's a chance he goes over on his yards but still under on his receptions
41:25tyler higbie the number tonight for the rams tight end that is now back in action
41:30i'm trying to hunt it down 25 and a half that's good stuff tom vecchio as always you saw the top
41:37props he'll be there for all of your monday night football needs to end out the opening
41:42round of the postseason later tonight on sports top thank you our best fans for monday
41:48so you heard it from tom vecchio we've heard from the public we know everything we need for this
41:56monday night football finale it's a wild card weekend tonight out in the desert between the
42:01rams and the vikings now it's time for some picks from donny right side and myself ben stevens we
42:07run the triple option here to end out this monday our favorite side total and prop on the early line
42:15drs when it comes to a side it is less than a field goal number in favor of minnesota the
42:22vikings laying two and a half tonight against the la rams our total stands at 47 and a hug the vikings
42:29the second best cover team this year in the nfl 11 five and one against the spread the rams since
42:35week number five when they started to turn their season around as an underdog with matthew stafford
42:40starting under center three and one both straight up and against the spread including an outright
42:46victory and a two and a half point home dog against the vikings way back in week eight on a short week
42:53thursday night affair so when it comes to your favorite side for the final game to wild card
42:58weekend which way do you look i'm going to go vikings i'm going to say they rebound from that
43:03effort against detroit which was on the road and yes this is a road game but it's actually a road
43:06game for both teams so it sort of limits the damage of not having los angeles comfortable
43:11in their own building i think that helps if i look at play callers you're probably looking at
43:15you would give the events the the edge to mcveigh but we're probably seeing the coach of the years
43:20of possibility coming from kevin o'connell and that's the offense that we loved all season long
43:24with justin jefferson at wide receiver and also just taking a look at the defenses head to head
43:28i would take brian flores as my defensive coordinator and i'll take that defense over
43:31the rams so i don't think it's going to be a blowout tonight i think it's gonna be a great
43:34game one possession into the fourth quarter i'm just trusting the minnesota vikings with what i
43:39saw on the entirety of the season to play well tonight and beat the rams yeah i'm gonna go to
43:44the rams outright but plus two and a half when this game was in la early last week i bet the rams
43:51on the money line i'm going to stick to it if you want to give me two and a half points
43:55that is fine i understand the logistics i understand where the hearts of everybody
44:00associated with los angeles are at this moment i still believe the rams are the better team and
44:06mainly because of a defense that i trust a ton more now young and improving to match up with an
44:12offense or i'll give the pedigree to the better quarterback by far in this playoff matchup matthew
44:18stafford as compared to sam donald again the rams since week number five after a one and four start
44:25la won nine of its next 11 games and that was the most critical game of this season in my estimation
44:32week number eight for la you heard it from dr chow earlier entering that game two and four for la
44:38might they trade matthew stafford cooper cup was hot on that trading block the rams beat these
44:45vikings outright at home as a two and a half point underdog and then won a couple of other really
44:52important games as an underdog against the buffalo bills in a high scoring affair and then on a short
44:58week in san francisco against the 49ers outright as a dog as well in significant moments of this
45:05season that have determined what la has done they have won outright as an underdog i'll believe they
45:12do that tonight against the vikings as well now time for our favorite total of this game drs i'm
45:18still not entirely sure how i feel about the game total overall yeah feels like it could go over
45:24could also very well stay under four or five games already this weekend under to start off the
45:29postseason our highest scoring game in terms of combined points between two teams just 44 it's
45:36not like we had a total at 51 and a hook like we did last night on a sunday that featured 49 points
45:42barely staying under there hasn't been a ton of offense what do you think we see tonight yeah i
45:47think that number is right on it by the way for the total 47 and a half because really envisioning
45:51a game of like a 27 20 27 21 type game close game one possession into the fourth quarter and that
45:57balance will hang in both obviously with the spread and the total but for me i'm trusting
46:00once again that brian flores led defense tonight under team total should say under 23 and a half
46:07the one thing that we do know is here in the nfl much more than recent years teams going for it on
46:12fourth down the reason you say that is you're passing up field goals to try to trade touchdowns
46:16doesn't always work in your favor you saw it last night from the washington commander
46:19there's a couple fourth downs where you could add points which end up with nothing here that's what
46:23you're hoping for you see that 23 and a half just give me one of those possessions on a fourth and
46:26two in the red zone that the rams don't get any points and you should be in good shape i'm going
46:30to take team total under 23 and a half i do think they approach that number obviously because i
46:34think it'll be a close game but i think they stay under that 24 point number yeah i'm going to look
46:39at 23 and a half as well but for the first half number i think we could see a slower start tonight
46:44between these two teams and again 24 being that key number so the under right now 23 and a half
46:51is actually even money to go over that first half total that's where the juice lays but drs you guys
46:58will be live on in-game live game day to look at this monday night finale the wild card weekend i
47:04think there's gonna be a ton of live betting opportunities for this matchup between the rams
47:08and the vikes both inside and in total that's how i would actually approach the over under in the
47:14scoring throughout this game favorite prop of the night is who and what yeah i'm really going to dig
47:21into this too but i do have been having fun i should say over the past couple weeks taking
47:24the longest reception props of some players yesterday not a lot of offense in philadelphia
47:28but how about this i did hit my over 20 and a half on devontae smith when he had a 28 yard
47:33catch in the second half i'm going to do the same thing with justin jefferson five out of the past
47:37six games he's cleared that number longest catches in those games 31 37 39 52 and 30 the only low
47:43number was 21 you know he's going to get his deep shots and also if he doesn't that 15 yard out that
47:48he turns up to get the extra yards that could help you i'm going to go justin jefferson over 26 and a
47:53half as his longest reception tonight i think it's a great look at drs it is correlated of course to
47:59sammy d i do not believe donald is going to be as bad as we saw last sunday night against detroit
48:05and when he has not been bad justin jefferson has been incredible 12 of 17 games this year for jay
48:11jett with at least 81 receiving yards his prop tonight 89 and a half the highest numbers puka
48:18nikua at 91 and a hook but donnie if the rams are going to win tonight outright cooper cup needs to
48:24be there and cooper cup needs to be heavily involved over 48 and a half really correlated
48:29to how i see this game playing out but la of course winning outright when they beat the rams
48:35back or when they beat the vikings back in week eight cooper cup had more than 50 receiving yards
48:40and that high scoring game against buffalo cooper cup more than 90 receiving yards cooper cup needs
48:46to step up tonight in the biggest way for la drs absolutely he does have like if you're looking again
48:52at two players aaron jones the running back from minnesota he's got to be healthy he's got to play
48:55well same thing with cooper cup if both of those guys are one of those guys underperform that puts
48:59a lot of things in peril tonight so fun game we'll look forward to it and end a great wild card
49:04weekend and we will see you tonight on sports grid enjoy the money line we round out the early line