Vikings vs. Falcons Prediction
Will the red-hot Minnesota Vikings pull off a small upset as an underdog when they visit the Atlanta Falcons at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday?
Who Oddsmakers Like: Atlanta. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Falcons are 2.5-point home favorites to beat the Vikings, who also opened as 2.5-point underdogs. As for the total, the number hit the board at 47.5 but has been bet down a half-point to 47.
Who the Public Likes: Minnesota. As of Sunday morning, 53% of betting tickets are on the Vikings to cover the small point spread.
Who the Trends Like: Minnesota and the under. The Vikings are 3-1-1 against the spread in their last five games versus the Falcons while the underdog is 3-0-1 at the betting window in the last four meetings between these two teams. The under, meanwhile, is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these two teams and is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Atlanta.
Who We Like: Minnesota. A few weeks ago the Vikings hosted the Rams and after a competitive first half, eventually cruised to an easy win in the second. In that game, Minnesota shut down Los Angeles’ running game and forced Jared Goff to beat them by throwing into tight windows. He couldn’t, mostly because he was under constant duress.
Granted, the Rams don’t have Julio Jones and unlike the Falcons, they didn’t benefit from playing the Vikings at home. Still, I see a similar scenario playing out today. Minnesota’s defense can handle Devonta Freeman (probable, concussion) and Tevin Coleman. If Mike Zimmer’s defense can make the Falcons one-dimensional, I like their chances of forcing Matt Ryan to make some mistakes. Plus, they have a big, physical corner in Xavier Rhodes that can match up with Jones.
On the other side, the Falcons are young and athletic on defense but their speed could work against them today. Case Keenum has played exceptional football and there’s no reason to bet against the Vikings right now.
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