Buccaneers vs Vikings NFL Football Spread/Handicapping
It was close but no cigar for Tampa Bay last Sunday. Against a desperate New Orleans squad they almost pulled out a win late.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) vs Minnesota Vikings (5-2)
Thursday October 25
Metrodome – Minneapolis, MN
8:30PM
Moneyline: Minnesota -270, Tampa Bay +239 at Gtbets.eu
Spread: Minnesota -6.5
O/U: 41.5
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Tampa Bay
Instead the losing continued and now they hit the road for a tougher than expected game in Minnesota (old division rivals). The Bucs were in control early against the Saints leading 21-7 in the second quarter but couldn’t get the victory despite outgaining the Saints.
Against New Orleans QB John Freeman had his best day as a pro throwing for 420 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions.
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He and receiver Vincent Jackson might have won you your fantasy football matchup with Jackson hauling in passes for 216 yards and 1 score (including a 95 yarder). If this duo is finally getting untracked then the Bucs are going to be much harder to game plan for from here on out.
I think Tampa can hang with the Vikings on Sunday. They are not a great offensive team but they should be able to slow the running attack of Minnesota and put some points on the board as well. If they can make Christian Ponder look average again (or below) then we may be looking at an upset special so the 6.5 points is a nice cushion.
Minnesota
The Vikings did it again last week, pushing their record to 5-2 and keeping pressure on the other members of the NFC North. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Last Sunday they dashed the sinking hopes of Cardinals nation, handing the Cardinals their third straight loss. Minnesota has to be looking to finish the next three weeks before their bye strong because after it they have back to back road games against Chicago and Green Bay. For them to be meaningful they have to keep up their strong play.
Against Arizona the Vikings relied on Adrian Peterson to live out his All Day moniker. Peterson had his most productive day of the season rushing for more than 150 yards on just 23 carries. That performance masked the fact that QB Christian Ponder was awful – completing less than 50% of his passes while throwing 2 interceptions. I have never been a big fan of Ponder and it is days like this (against a mediocre defense) that makes you wonder.
The Vikings play last week makes me nervous about getting behind them. Yes it was exciting to see the old Adrian Peterson but Ponder’s play makes it tough to be excited about the future. How many games can you win and cover with your QB throwing for less than a hundred yards? He won’t always be that bad but it gives me pause to see just how bad he can be.
Spread Pick: Tampa Bay +6.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Minnesota 24 – Tampa Bay 21
