NFL Betting Predictions – Saints vs Vikings
With last week’s win the Saints clinched their division, but there is still lots to play for as this team definitely wants as many home games as possible in the playoffs.
New Orleans Saints vs Minnesota Vikings
Metrodome – Minneapolis, MN
Sunday December 18 – 1:00PM
Moneyline: New Orleans -270, Minnesota +230
Spread (ATS): New Orleans -7
Over/Under: 51
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes
New Orleans
Considering the opponent, they just have to have this one. It shouldn’t be too much of a challenge as these guys were built to play indoors, home or away. I see a dominant performance after last week’s sluggish effort.
I expect that Drew Brees will be able to move the ball better this week against a Vikings defense that is ranked 30th against the pass. With a strong finish he might actually eclipse 5000 yards this season. Also, don’t be fooled that this team can’t run the ball. They may not have a good feature back but they can run it. They are surprisingly 8th in the league rushing the ball.
There is probably good value here with New Orleans after last week’s ugly outing…as long as the number stays where it is. The Saints have been a good bet all season long with a 9-4 ATS record. 6 of those were at home as they are just 3-4 ATS on the road. Still I like their high scoring offense indoors. It is kind of like playing in their home the Superdome.
Minnesota
The Vikings have not won a game since October and might not win another game this year. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
As a credit to them, they don’t appear to be giving up as they gave fought the last two weeks to make the scores respectable. They are hopeful to get a healthy Adrian Peterson back in the lineup this Sunday but they have been having success running the ball with his replacement Toby Gerhart.
While some rookie quarterbacks have been racking up highlights it feels like Christian Ponder has been running in place. He doesn’t have a lot of weapons at his disposal but he also doesn’t seem to be able to make a lot of plays on his own either. I am still wondering why they made this guy a first round pick. Especially with a lot of QB available in this year’s draft.
It is hard to like the Vikings this week unless the number goes up significantly. Minnesota has been a slightly better bet on the road than at home and even though they are getting back a healthy Adrian Peterson they are so one dimensional that it might not make much of a difference. They have shown some heart the last couple of weeks but how long can they keep it up.
ATS Pick: New Orleans -7
Over/Under Pick: Over
Score Prediction: New Orleans 38 – Minnesota 24
