More Wild Card Football

In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️ 

NBA Model Predictions- Click Here

NHL Model Predictions- Click Here

NCAAB Model Predictions- Click Here

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NFL, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 0-1 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 2-1

Over/Under Predictions: 2-1

Spread Predictions: 1-2

Featured Matchup: 0-1

One NFL game is scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for that matchup can be found below.

Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Rams

Model Predicts- Vikings ML, UNDER 47.5, Vikings -2.5

The Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams will each hit the road on Monday, making the journey to Glendale, Arizona to square off in the Wild Card round.

Minnesota enters tonight’s matchup fresh off a stellar regular season, one that saw the Vikings win 14 of 17 games and finish in second place in the NFC North division. Meanwhile, Los Angeles took home the NFC West title this season after posting a 10-7 record, which included winning four of the final five games.

Wildfires in California have shifted this game from California to Arizona, and as a result our model projects the Vikings to win and cover spread in a low-scoring contest. Let’s dive into why that is.

Minnesota Vikings

• Ended regular season winning four of last five games

  • Wins over Falcons, Bears, Seahawks, and Packers. Loss to Lions

  • Own +22 point differential in that span

• Strength of offense during second half of season was the passing game

  • Rank fifth in dropback success rate and 13th in EPA/dropback since Week 9

  • Have eclipsed 280 yards passing in five of last ten contests

• Boast one of NFL’s best defensive units

  • Rank inside top-five in both opponent EPA/play and opponent success rate

Los Angeles Rams

• Ended regular season winning four of last five games

  • Wins over Bills, 49ers, Jets, and Cardinals. Loss to Seahawks

  • Own +17 point differential in that span

• Defeated this Vikings team back in Week 8

  • Won game 30-20. Posted 386 yards to Minnesota’s 276

  • Down 14-7 after first quarter, but out-scored Vikings 23-6 from the second quarter on

• Strong defensive play was key to late-season push for division title

  • Held opponents to nine points or less in three of last four games

  • Rank 10th in opponent EPA/play in that time

What’s the Play?

This game moving to Arizona throws another wrinkle into an already unpredictable NFL postseason, but we agree with our model to back Minnesota on the spread as a road favorite here.

Los Angeles looked like one of the better defenses in the NFL across the last four weeks of the regular season, but that success comes with some caveats. None of the four teams L.A. faced, Arizona, San Francisco, New York Jets, or Seattle, ranked higher than 11th in EPA/play since Week 13, with three of four teams ranking 16th or worse. That weak schedule inflated some of the Rams’ defensive numbers, and the Vikings provide L.A. with a much larger challenge tonight.

In our eyes, the Vikings have the edge on both sides of the football, a large reason why our model projects Minnesota to win this game by more than four points. As a result, we’ll take the Vikings at -2.5.

The Play: Vikings -2.5 (-105)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Minnesota Vikings- 14-3 overall this season, 6-2 as the away team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Minnesota Vikings- 10-7 overall this season, 4-4 as the away team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Minnesota Vikings- 11-5-1 against the spread (ATS) this season, 4-3-1 ATS as the away team

🦅 Hurts, Eagles defense lead Philadelphia to win over Green Bay. Jalen Hurts returned from a late-season concussion to throw two touchdown passes, while Dallas Goedert's determined touchdown catch highlighted the Philadelphia Eagles' 22-10 wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles' NFL-best defense dominated with three interceptions, a key fumble recovery, and crucial stops, while Jake Elliott added three field goals to seal the victory. Despite Jordan Love’s 212 passing yards and Josh Jacobs’ impressive 81-yard rushing performance, the Packers couldn't overcome Philadelphia's early momentum and defensive prowess.

💪 Bills dominate Broncos for fifth-consecutive wild card win. Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes, and James Cook rushed for 120 yards and a score as the Buffalo Bills dominated the Denver Broncos 31-7 in a wild-card playoff game. The Bills controlled the game with a balanced offense, scoring on six of their first seven drives and maintaining a 23-minute edge in time of possession. Advancing to the divisional round for the fifth consecutive season, Buffalo will face the Baltimore Ravens, who defeated them earlier in the year but lost to the Bills in their last playoff meeting.

Today’s Top Sportsbook/DFS Offers🎰

Sportsbooks and Daily Fantasy sites are providing new users with a plethora of offers and bonuses when they sign up, and our staff has provided it’s top three for January 13, 2025!

To claim an offer, click the “Open Account” button on the corresponding banner, complete the sign up process, make a deposit, and start betting!

DraftKings- Bet $5 and get $150 bonus bets!

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To see all sportsbooks and offers available in your area, click HERE

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin attended what Big 10 school prior to his NFL career?

Question #2- The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers faced off in the 2015 NBA Finals. What player led the series in point, rebounds, and assists per game?

Question #3- What New York Yankees player led the MLB in at-bats during the 2002 season, recording 696 total?

Anyone know what has happened on January 13th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On January 13th…

2008- Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson shoots 5-for-5 from three in a 139-107 win over the Sacramento Kings. Nelson’s strong shooting performance was part of a massive night for the Magic, as Orlando made 23 of 37 three-point attempts. The 23 three-pointers set a new NBA record for the most made by a team in a single game.

2019- Houston Rockets guard James Harden scores 28 points in a 116-106 loss to the Orlando Magic. The performance was the 16th straight game in which Harden scored 30+ points, which matched Kobe Bryant’s NBA record. Surprisingly, Harden went 1-for-17 from three in the game despite his 38 points, which also tied the NBA record for most three-point misses in a game.

2020- The college football national championship is contested between the LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers. Both teams put points on the board early, each scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, but LSU would pull away across the final three quarters and win the game 42-25. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was named Offensive MVP, and LSU linebacker Patrick Queen was named Defensive MVP.

1. Ohio State University

2. LeBron James

3. Alfonso Soriano