Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Sunday, 10/24/2010, 8:20 PM EST, TV: NBC
Opening Point Spread: Green Bay -3
Current Betting Line: Green Bay -2.5
Opening Total: 44
Current Total: 44
Current Moneyline: Green Bay -140 / Minnesota +120
Minnesota will play its second divisional game of the 2010 season this week and will face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. “I’m a little bit reluctant to say I’m excited to go back to Green Bay,” said Vikings quarterback Brett Favre. “It’s a challenge that hopefully we’ll live up to.” This will be the 99th game between the Vikings and Packers, with Green Bay holding a slim 49-48-1 advantage. The last 25 games in the series have been incredibly close in terms of scoring, with Minnesota posting 606 points compared to Green Bay’s 590. The Vikings swept the series last year and has won three straight overall. If they pull off a victory in Sunday’s contest, it will be the first time since 1992-93 that they’ve won four consecutive games over their division rivals. Minnesota is 6-6-1 ATS versus division foes and the total is 7-6 Over/Under in those contests.
The Vikings picked up a huge 24-21 home victory over the Dallas Cowboys last week, a contest than many considered a “do-or-die” game in this year’s playoff picture. Minnesota’s defense continues to be play incredible football and has given up just eight offensive touchdowns through the first five games. Opponents have scored just 74 offensive points versus the unit, which is the second-fewest in the NFL. Defensive end Jared Allen is likely the most important player in tonight’s contest after picking up 7.5 sacks against Green Bay last year. On the flip side, Favre has been battling elbow tendinitis in his throwing shoulder, but has thrown for 351 yards and four touchdowns in his last six quarters of play. It remains to be seen if the current NFL investigation will unravel his focus, but it definitely has to be a concern for bettors.
Green Bay is desperate to get back on track after dropping a 23-20 home contest to the Miami Dolphins last week and hopes to welcome back a few players to the lineup. “We’re getting hopefully two studs back this week on defense, three if you count Clay,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers stated. “We need those guys back. We need to be at full force.” The team has eight injured starters last Sunday, but will be missing running back Ryan Grant and tight end Jermichael Finley for the remainder of the season. This is the third straight year and fifth time in six seasons that the border rivals will square off in a prime-time matchup. The Packers have an 18-8 record against NFC North opponents under head coach Mike McCarthy, including a 10-3 mark at home. The squad is 15-13 ATS versus conference opponents and the total is 16-12 Over/Under.
The Packers are looking to start a new home winning streak after seeing its six-game run snapped by the Dolphins. Surprisingly enough, Green Bay has managed just an even 17-17-1 mark versus Minnesota at Lambeau Field in the series. The team is likely to get off to a good start due to scoring 44 points in the first quarter this year, but they have faded at the end by tallying just 24 points in the final frame. Expect the defense to play an enthusiastic football game, as the unit looks to continue the NFL’s longest streak of holding opposing backs without a 100-yard rushing game. The streak is currently at 19 games and the squad is yielding an average of 112.3 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 21st in the league.
Bettors may want to watch the line in this contest due to the Vikings 3-12-2 ATS mark in their last 17 games as an underdog of 0.5 to 3 points. Green Bay is 1-6 ATS as a favorite of 0.5 to 3 points.
