Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams: NFC Wild Card Open Thread

The first of the two NFC Wild Card playoff games kicks off in Los Angeles in about half an hour, and by the end of this one we could know who the Minnesota Vikings will play a week from Sunday.

This is the first playoff game for the Los Angeles Rams in Los Angeles in over thirty years, as they will play host to the Atlanta Falcons. The last time the Rams hosted a playoff game in Los Angeles was in 1986, so the crowd in Southern California has got to be ready for this one.

The Rams are the third seed in the NFC, having won the NFC West with a record of 11-5. They played the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium earlier this season, and after an early touchdown, the Vikings beat them like a drum to emerge with a 24-7 victory.

Atlanta knew that they had to win in Week 17 to make the postseason, and they did just that as they took down the Carolina Panthers to finish their regular season. They’ve also played the Vikings this season, with the purple emerging victorious by a score of 14-9 in Atlanta’s fancy new stadium.

We could know who Minnesota’s opponent on Divisional Playoff weekend will be by the time this one is over. If the Rams win this one, they will travel to Minnesota next weekend to take on the Vikings. If the Falcons win, then the Vikings will have to wait for the results of tomorrow’s contest between Carolina and New Orleans to see who their opponent will be.

This one will kick off in about half an hour, at approximately 7:15 PM Central time. Enjoy the last game of Wild Card Saturday, folks!