Minnesota Vikings vs. Baltimore Ravens: NFL Week 14 Betting Odds and Picks

Minnesota Vikings vs. Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, 12/8/13, 1:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Baltimore -7
Current Betting Line: Baltimore -6.5
Opening Total: 43
Current Total: 41.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Vikings Bills NFL Preview — The Minnesota Vikings are led by RB Adrian Peterson on offense

Minnesota hits the road after picking up a 23-20 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears as 2.5-point home favorites in Week 13, as it continues to out gain opponents on the ground. The Vikings will need a huge game out of star running back Adrian Peterson, who set season highs with 211 yards on 35 carries last Sunday, which can’t be ignored when making your pro football picks. Minnesota is 4-5 ATS as road underdogs of 3.5 to 7 points the last two-plus seasons, with the OVER going 5-4 in that situation.

The Vikings are expected to start Matt Cassel under center for the first time since Oct. 13, as Christian Ponder continues to deal with post-concussion symptoms. Minnesota will likely feature Peterson on the ground, as he leads the league with 1,208 rushing yards. He ran for 143 yards in a 33-31 home victory over Baltimore in the last series meeting in 2009.

Baltimore has won three of its last four games, with its defense leading the way—allowing just 16.9 points a contest dating back to Week 2. The Ravens are two games back of the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North standings, which is important to consider when looking over the NFL betting lines. The franchise is a dominating 10-1 SU at home versus NFC opponents under head coach John Harbaugh, while it has compiled a 26-6-1 SU all-time record in that situation in its history. Baltimore is 6-1-1 ATS as home favorites of 3.5 to 7 points the last two-plus seasons.

The Ravens have posted a 26-4 record at M&T Bank Stadium since 2010, which is the second-best mark in the league over that span behind only the New England Patriots. Offensively, the team ranks 29th in the league in averaging just 309.0 yards per game, as it continues to struggle in the running game. Quarterback Joe Flacco may be able to move the football against Minnesota—a foe that ranks 30th in surrendering 407.6 yards per game.