Vikings vs. Chargers Spread Prediction
The Vikings need to keep pace with the Packers in the NFC North and ahead of the Rams in the NFC wild card race, but are just 3-4 on the road this season. Will Minnesota knock off the Chargers today at 4:05 p.m. ET as a small favorite?
Game Snapshot
331 Minnesota Vikings (-1) at 332 Los Angeles Chargers (+1); O/U 45.5
4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 15, 2019
Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson City, CA
Public Betting Trends
According to our NFL Football Public Betting Chart page, the Vikings are receiving 68% of the betting tickets from online sportsbooks.
Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Spin
Adam Thielen (hamstring) wasn’t listed on the Vikings’ final injury report. Thielen is good to go after practicing all week. Treat Thielen as an upside WR3. Pass-game volume has been an issue in this offense all season, and limited snaps are a real concern considering some of the perplexing usage the Vikings have handed Dalvin Cook while playing hurt over the past two seasons. Still, this is a winnable matchup in the slot against Desmond King, who is PFF’s No. 39 highest-graded CB this season.
Los Angeles Chargers Fantasy Spin
Melvin Gordon rushed 12 times for 55 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers’ Week 14 win over the Jaguars, adding five receptions for 29 additional yards. Gordon scored a goal line touchdown on the first drive of the game. He was plenty effective as both a rusher and receiver, although Austin Ekeler stole the spotlight with 8-101-0 rushing and 4-112-1 receiving lines. Gordon continues to receive borderline RB1 usage as the lead back in this offense. The only problem is a fairly tough matchup in Week 15 against the Vikings’ ferocious front seven. Regardless, treat Gordon as an upside RB2 at home.
NFL Betting Trends
Minnesota
The Vikings are 11-5-1 against the spread in their last 17 games as a favorite but have failed to cover in all four of their last four games coming off a win.
Los Angeles
The Chargers are 7-2-1 against the spread in their last 10 games as an underdog but are just 7-18-1 against the number in their last 26 home games.
Prediction
I’m going head over gut here. There’s no reason why the Vikings are only laying one point after the number opened at three. There’s some severe reverse line movement in this matchup, so my gut says to take the Chargers. That said, my head and eyes say Minnesota. The Chargers have had issues most of the year when it comes to protecting Philip Rivers. And while this Vikings defense isn’t the same unit that it has been the last three years under Mike Zimmer, they should drum up enough pressure on Rivers to keep the Chargers offense in check. This one likely comes down to the wire, but with Thielen back likely back, I don’t see the Vikings blowing this one with so much at stake.
NFL Week 15 Prediction: Minnesota Vikings -1