The Rams are in great shape, with RT Rob Havenstein (shoulder) set to return from a two-game absence. Backup RB Blake Corum is out for the playoffs after breaking his forearm against Seattle.
The previous time these teams met in the postseason, the Rams beat the Vikings 49-37 on Jan. 16, 2000, in Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner's playoff debut on their way to winning the Super Bowl. That was the highest-scoring divisional round game in NFL history. … Los Angeles won the past three regular-season meetings. … Minnesota has a 5-2 series edge in the playoffs.
The Vikings most recently won a postseason game five years ago, a wild-card round win at New Orleans. … The Vikings have 31 postseason losses, tied with the Cowboys for the most in NFL history. They are 21-31 for an all-time winning percentage in the playoffs (.404) that is the fourth worst in league history, ahead of the Lions (9-14), Chargers (12-19) and Bengals (10-16). … The Vikings are sixth all time in postseason appearances (31), with fewer seasons in the league (64) than every club ahead of them on the list: Cowboys (36 in 65), Packers (36 in 104), Steelers (34 in 90), Giants (33 in 100) and Rams (32 in 88). … Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, who was the offensive coordinator of the Rams on their 2021 Super Bowl championship team, is 0-1 in the postseason as a head coach. … Vikings WR Justin Jefferson had 28 receptions of 20-plus yards to lead the league this season, seven more than the next-closest player. Since entering the league in 2020, he has 132 catches of 20-plus yards, 25 more than any other player. CeeDee Lamb is next. … Jones has 100-plus total yards from scrimmage in four of his past five postseason games, all with the Packers. Last year, he rushed for 226 yards and three TDs over two playoff games. … The Vikings led the league with 24 interceptions and tied for first with 33 takeaways. … Vikings LB Blake Cashman, who missed the regular-season matchup with the Rams because of a toe injury, was the only LB in the NFL this season with at least 100 tackles, eight tackles for loss and eight passes defensed. … Vikings OLBs Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel each made their first Pro Bowl team after a career-high 18 tackles for loss, which tied them for fourth in the league. … Sean McVay is in the playoffs for the sixth time as Rams head coach. He has a 7-4 record in the postseason. … Stafford has taken Los Angeles to the postseason in three of his four seasons. He had a passer rating of 154.5 in a 2021 NFC wild-card win over Arizona, the highest playoff efficiency mark in team history. … WR Puka Nacua set an NFL rookie record with 181 yards receiving in a wild-card loss to Detroit last year. He needs 126 yards for the highest total through a player's first two playoff games in league history. … The Rams and Denver Broncos were the only teams to get at least 10 sacks from rookies. Fiske (8 1/2) and Verse (4 1/2) did the majority of the damage. … Los Angeles made the playoffs with 16 rookies on its active roster, the most in the NFL this season. … After a midseason slump, PK Joshua Karty ended the regular season by making 13 consecutive field goals over the final five games. He made kicks of 58 and 57 yards among his four field goals versus Seattle. … WR Cooper Kupp followed up his sensational Triple Crown regular season in 2021 by making 33 catches for 478 yards and six touchdowns during the Super Bowl drive. However, Kupp didn't look right to end this season with four receptions for 53 yards in his final three games before getting to sit out last week to rest.