Minnesota (2-0 SU and ATS) at Houston (1-1 SU and ATS)
Brett Favre is slated to see extensive action under center as he leads the Vikings against the Texans in a nationally televised contest from Reliant Stadium in Houston.
Minnesota rallied past the Chiefs 17-13, barely cashing as a three-point home chalk last week as Favre played just two series and went 1-for-4 for 4 yards. Minnesota coach Brad Childress has said the veteran QB will play the first half tonight with the rest of the offensive starters. The second half will be a battle between Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels who are now competing for the backup QB spot. Expect Jackson, who threw two TD passes last week, to take over in the third quarter with Rosenfels playing the fourth quarter.
The Vikings will have all 11 defensive starters in the game for the entire first half, including DE Jared Allen, who missed last week’s win over Kansas City, and DL Pat Williams, who has missed both exhibition contests.
Houston got roughed up by the Saints last Saturday, falling 38-14 as a three-point home favorite. Starting QB Matt Schaub gave the Texans a 7-0 lead in the contest with an 8-yard TD pass in the first quarter. Gary Kubiak’s QB rotation will be simple tonight as Schaub will play into the third quarter with the rest of the starting offense. He’ll be relieved by backup QB Dan Orlovsky, who will finish the contest as Rex Grossman remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last five exhibition games, including a 13-3 road win at the Colts as a 2 ½-point favorite in Week 1. Since Childress took over in 2006, the Vikings are 5-2 ATS (4-2-1 SU) in exhibition road games, 5-2 ATS as an underdog and 2-1 ATS (1-2 SU) in Week 3 action.
Houston has cashed in all three dress-rehearsal Week 3 games under Kubiak, but all three were as an underdog as the Texans lost two of those contests straight-up. In fact, Houston is just 1-5 SU in Week 3 action since 2003 and 1-5-2 ATS as a favorite since 2004.
The over is 8-2 in Houston’s last 10 preseason contests (4-1 at home), while the Vikings have followed up an 8-4 “over” run in exhibition play by staying below the posted price in its last three summer outings.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MINNESOTA
Gametimepicks.com
Vikings at Texans
By Kevin Rogers
Following Monday's Vikings/Texans matchup at Reliant Stadium, only one week remains in the NFL preseason prior to the regular season kicking off September 10 in Pittsburgh. You don't have to go very far to find a storyline for Monday's tilt in the Lone Star State, as Brett Favre makes his second start at quarterback for the Vikings.
Favre played only two series in last Friday's 17-13 home victory over the Chiefs. The ex-Packer and Jet threw just four passes, completing one for four yards. Favre is expected to play the entire first half against Houston, with Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels splitting time in the second half. Rosenfels makes his first appearance in Houston after spending last season with the Texans, starting five games in place of the injured Matt Schaub.
Jackson looked sharp against the Chiefs, finishing 12 of 15 for 202 yards and two touchdown strikes. Vikings' star running back Adrian Peterson carried the ball only ten times for a modest 44 yards.
Schaub and the Texans look to rebound after getting pounded by the Saints last week, 38-14. Houston put up just 70 yards rushing, while allowing New Orleans to rack up 173 yards on the ground. One game after forcing three turnovers in a 16-10 victory at Kansas City, the Texans committed three turnovers against New Orleans. This will Schaub's first meeting against Minnesota since the Texans' quarterback injured his knee versus the Vikings at the Metrodome last season, causing him to miss a month.
Vikings' wide receiver Bernard Berrian is 'questionable,' as the ex-Chicago Bear is nursing a hamstring injury. Berrian originally suffered the injury in Minnesota's preseason opener at Indianapolis. All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen, who missed the victory over his former team, Kansas City, with an ankle injury, will play Monday night.
Houston has been an excellent 'over' team in the preseason under head coach Gary Kubiak, eclipsing the 'over' in eight of the last ten and 10 of the past 14. The third game has also been profitable for the Texans, with Houston going 3-0 ATS the last three seasons in the "dress rehearsal" game.
The Vikings are listed as an underdog for the first time this preseason, after victories as favorites over the Colts and Chiefs. Minnesota is 7-4 ATS its last 11 preseason contests when receiving points.
Most books opened the Texans as 2½-point favorites, but Houston is now favored by three and even 3½ at several shops. The total opened at 40 ½, but that number has dropped to 39 in most places.
The game kicks off at 8 P.M. Eastern, and will be televised on ESPN.
vegasinsider.com
What bettors need to know: Vikings at Texans
By David Chan
Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans (-3.5, 39)
Hogging the spotlight
As if Brett Favre hasn't received enough media attention already, he'll be front and center on Monday Night Football this week.
Favre made a cameo appearance for the Vikings last week, completing only one of four passes for four yards. That was really nothing more than a dog and pony show for the Vikings fans.
On Monday we should see a little more from Favre. He's expected to play the entire first half.
The Vikings haven't played since last Friday so Favre has had the better part of two weeks to learn the Vikings offensive playbook.
That's the same playbook that he's more than likely had a copy of on his coffee table all summer, but I digress.
This week we've heard reports indicating that the Vikings locker room is divided, with some supporting Tarvaris Jackson over No. 4.
Favre shrugged off those rumors.
"Once again, I will continue to work on that part of it. I think my experience can only go so far on the field, but I think it can pay huge dividends off the field and in the locker room and how to adjust. You know what? You've got to be yourself. I'm pretty content with my personality. I think it's able to fit in with just about everyone."
Talking defense
Even though their starting unit has seen limited action, the Vikings defense appears to be in mid-season form.
In its preseason opener against the Colts, Minnesota gave up only 142 total yards.
The Chiefs cracked the 300-yard plateau against the Vikings last week, but they were still held to only 13 points.
You have to go back to Aug. 8, 2008 to find the last time Minnesota gave up more than 16 points in a preseason game. The under is 4-1 in its last five exhibition matchups.
Looking for redemption
The Houston Texans were embarrassed in front of their home faithful last week, losing 38-14 to the New Orleans Saints.
Maybe they shouldn't hang their heads so low after the Saints follow-up performance left Oakland spinning.
Head coach Gary Kubiak wants his players to take these so-called 'meaningless' games seriously.
“They better all take on the same meaning,” Kubiak said. “They better all be just as important to each player every week.”
The good news is, the Texans haven't lost both preseason home games since going 0-4 in 2003, which was just their second year in the league.
Dynamic duo
The Texans' defense remains a work in progress, but their offense should look much sharper with Kubiak playing his starters into the second half on Monday.
As Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson go, so do the Texans.
Schaub is 18-of-23 for 167 yards and a touchdown so far this preseason. Johnson hasn't seen a great deal of action, catching only five passes for 53 yards.
Dan Orlovsky will play the entire fourth quarter with Rex Grossman recovering from a pulled hamstring.
Welcome back
The Vikings may have the motivational edge in the second half. Sage Rosenfels is not only battling Tarvaris Jackson for the backup QB role, but also making his return to Houston, where he spent the last three seasons.
Rosenfels was held out of last week's preseason game due to an injured ankle, but is expected to play in the second half on Monday.
He left Houston for Minnesota hoping to earn a starting job, but if the prospect of playing second or third fiddle to Favre is bothering him, he isn't letting it show.
“I'm working as hard as I can to get ready,” Rosenfels said. “If the team needs me, I want to be ready to play and to play high-caliber football. I'm going to keep working, keep my head up and be ready to go when they need me.”
Tarvaris Jackson did his best to seal up the backup spot in Rosenfels' absence, completing 12-of-15 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns in last week's win over the Chiefs.
By the numbers
The Texans opened as 2.5-point favorites but have since been bet up to -3.5 at most books.
The total has dropped a full two points since opening at 41.
MINNESOTA (2 - 0) at HOUSTON (1 - 1)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
MINNESOTA at HOUSTON
MINNESOTA: 5-0 ATS in non-conf games
HOUSTON: 1-5 ATS as a favorite
2 MINUTE HANDICAP
Minnesota 7-0 vs AFC… 6-2 Away Two… 6-3 Game Three
HOUSTON 3-0 Game Three… 7-1 OVER vs NFC
Vikings, Texans meet on MNF
By Brobury Sports
The last MNF game before the regular season is tonight as the Houston Texans host the Minnesota Vikings.
The Texans have moved to 3.5 point favorites at BroburySports after opening up at three. The Over/Under is a reasonable 39 points for this 8 pm ET game on ESPN.
It wouldn’t be a Vikings game without Brett Favre towards the top of the headlines. Favre played briefly in their last game against Kansas City, going just 1-4 for four yards. His supporters will point out he only had three days to prepare after signing after training camp ended.
Favre’s critics will point out his signing has caused unreasonable expectations in the ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes’. Heavy future wagering at BroburySports has pushed Minnesota to become 5/1 co-favorites to win the NFC. That’s tied with the NY Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.
Favre needs to play well tonight and is expected to play the entire first half. He could use more reps than that but Minnesota wants to look at their other quarterbacks. The plan is for Tarvaris Jackson to enter the game after Favre and Jackson looked great last week against Kansas City.
Sage Rosenfels is scheduled to be the third quarterback as his sprained ankle is now heeled. He will be looking for revenge against his former Texans team that didn’t deem him starter-worthy.
Houston coach Gary Kubiak says most of the offensive and defensive starters should both play three quarters tonight. That includes quarterback Matt Schaub.
Schaub suffered a knee injury when these teams met in the regular season last year, courtesy of defensive end Jared Allen. Schaub missed 4.5 games and while preseason is not the best time to get revenge, he will play will extra motivation.
Allen has ironically been banged up this preseason but he and defensive tackle Pat Williams will play tonight. The Minnesota defensive starters will all play the first half according to the coaching staff.
Notes:
Minnesota won their first two preseason games, at Indianapolis (13-3) and home to Kansas City (17-13). They also covered the spread in both.
Houston covered in the opening week at Kansas City, winning 16-10. They then lost at home to New Orleans last week, 38-14. Houston is motivated to rebound from that game and thus the deserved home favorites.
Tips and Trends
Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans
Vikings: After barely playing last week, Brett Favre is slated to play the first half. Favre, who signed with Minnesota on Aug. 18, was 1-for-4 for four yards last week in a 17-13 victory against Kansas City. The Vikings opened preseason with a 13-3 road win against Indianapolis. Minnesota’s defense held the Colts and Chiefs to a combined average of 228 yards of offense. However, Peyton Manning barely played against the Vikings and the Chiefs are struggling on offense. Tarvaris Jackson was the Vikings’ star versus the Chiefs completing 12-of-15 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. Sage Rosenfels is competing with Jackson for the backup quarterback spot. He missed last week with an ankle injury, but could play against the Texas. Rosenfels played for the Texans from 2006-2008. Minnesota may be without its best wide receiver Bernard Berrian (hamstring) and top pass rusher Jared Allen (ankle).
The Vikings are 9-5 ATS the past four years in preseason.
Key Injuries - Wide receiver Bernard Berrian (hamstring) is doubtful and defensive end Jared Allen (ankle) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 17
Texans (-3, O/U 39): The Texans shouldn’t lack for motivation with a rare nationally televised home game and off an embarrassing 38-14 loss to New Orleans last week. The Texans are 3-0 against the spread during their dress rehearsal preseason game under Gary Kubiak, winning by 21 points against the spread. Kubiak plans on playing his starters for three quarters. “They’re going out there for three quarters and if you’re a starter, you better play like one because there’s some good competition going on,” Kubiak said. “You’ll see some new faces playing with the starters, and we’ll see how we come out of it.” The Texans have their offense nearly in place behind quarterback Matt Schaub, but their defense is unsettled with starting competition going on at linebacker, tackle and safety. The Saints piled up 420 yards of offense against Houston. Cornerback Dunta Robinson has yet to report to camp due to salary dispute.
The Over has cashed 8 of 10 times in preseason under Gary Kubiak.
Key Injuries - Linebacker Brian Cushing (knee), linebacker Cato June (arm) and defensive tackle Travis Johnson (sports hernia) are out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 21(UNDER - Total of the Day)
Minnesota
QB Brett Favre and the starters are expected to play entire 1st half. Tarvaris Jackson will play the 3rd quarter and Sage Rosenfels will play the 4th quarter.
Houston
QB Matt Schaub is expected to play close to three quarters.
Is Favre ready for tonight?
By Sportsbook.com
Even the most casual of NFL fans will probably have their TV tuned to ESPN tonight for the preseason clash between the Vikings and Texans, if for no other reason than to see the strange sight of quarterback Brett Favre wearing #4 in purple. Favre and his new teammates take another step towards the regular season when they visit Houston as a 3-1/2 point underdog. Most bettors, nearly 80% of them at Sportsbook.com, give the 40-year old QB the edge against the spread.
Minnesota's newest quarterback played only briefly last week and reports are he will see considerable action on this televised contest. The worldwide leader in sports newest NFL reporter Adam Shefter has reported there is a "schism" in the Vikings locker room concerning what teammates think about the veteran quarterback, compared to those already on hand. Upon further review, those close to the team have found this not to be the case, with a few dissenting voices, but hardly the next Civil War to start in Minnesota.
The Vikings have won and covered both their preseason encounters and will have to settle on a backup quarterback. Sage Rosenfels missed last week with an ankle and Tarvaris Jackson, thought to be the goner when the Wrangler jeans pitchman was signed, took full advantage of the situation, completing 12 of 15 passes against Kansas City for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Sportsbook.com has the Vikings as three-point road underdogs, with a total of 38.5.
Houston hasn't had the drama seen in the Twin Cities, but there was a many long face after the Texans were blasted by 38-14 by New Orleans as three-point home favorites last week. The Houston defense was scorched for 420 yards by the Saints and some members of the defensive line are on the firing line. In particular, starting defensive tackle Amobi Okoye has come under scrutiny. Now in his third season, the Nigerian hasn't progressed as some would like to see for the 10th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. A solid game against a good Minnesota offensive line would help quell dissatisfaction.
Quarterback Matt Schaub leads what should be a potent Houston attack, with numerous weapons like Andre Johnson, Steve Slaton, Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter. The Texans are 6-4 and 4-3-3 ATS playing at home in August football since 2004 and have covered their last three Week 3 assignments.
Minnesota is 24-13-1 ATS in their last 38 underdog roles and 16-5 ATS when they score 22 to 28 points in the preseason. From a situational perspective, the Vikings could be in a hole, since they are 0-7 ATS on the road versus an opponent coming off a double-digit loss..
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