NFL Week 7 Pick – Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers
Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, October 25th – Heinz Field – 1:00 ET
NFL Point Spread: Steelers -4, O/U: 45
The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally healthy and having Troy Polamalu back on the defensive side of the ball makes a huge difference for this team. The Steelers also made it official this week naming Rashard Mendenhall as their starting running back. After their 1-2 start the Steelers have reeled off three straight wins and appear to be back on track.
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The Minnesota Vikings continue to find new ways to win as they let a big lead slip away but held on to beat Baltimore 33-31 improving to 6-0 on the year. Despite being undefeated the Vikings do not get a lot of respect from the lines makers as they are listed as four point underdogs in Pittsburgh.
NFL Handicapping: What The Vikings Have To Do To Win
The Vikings are struggling stopping the pass. With a comfortable fourth quarter lead last week they allowed Joe Flacco to pick apart their secondary and needed a missed field goal to escape with the win. Against Ben Roethlisberger, who has 1887 passing yards in just six games, they better figure it out quickly.
The key for the Vikings will be to put pressure on Roethlisberger and not allow him the time to have success through the air. Jared Allen, who has been the defensive MVP so far this season, was very critical of Minnesota’s second half defensive collapse and will be counted on to force Pittsburgh into turnovers. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Brett Favre will need to make big plays down the field as well, since Adrian Peterson was injured against Baltimore and it is never easy to run the ball against the Steelers.
NFL Handicapping: What The Steelers Have To Do To Win
Expect a lot of passing as the Vikings are also very tough to run against but have some clear holes in their secondary. For the first time in recent years the Steelers are becoming a pass-oriented team and that should continue this week. In the last three weeks the Steelers have averaged over 30 points per contest.
Pittsburgh played a solid game last week but struggled with turnovers in the second half. You can get away with sloppy play against Cleveland, but the Steelers will have to take better care of the football against a potent offense that can make you pay. Expect a very motivated Steelers team to hand Minnesota its first loss of the season.
NFL Handicapping: Outlook & Pick
While it looks like taking the points with an undefeated team is the smart play, the Steelers have many advantages in this game.
Minnesota has not played a game outside since Week One when they won in Cleveland. The Vikings appear very vulnerable in the secondary and that will be a huge problem against a great red hot quarterback with a 104.5 QB rating.
The Vikings have been getting lots of breaks but their luck will run out in Pittsburgh as the defending champions win and make a statement.
NFL Point Spread Pick: Steelers -4 & under 45
One reply on “Week 7 Spreads: Vikings vs. Steelers”
This will be a majot step up in competition for the undefeated Vikings. Look for the Steelers’ defense to rise to the occasion, shutting Minnesota and Brett Favre down.