New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 12/18/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: New Orleans -7
Current Betting Line: New Orleans -6.5
Opening Total: 51
Current Total: 51.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
New Orleans will play its final regular-season road game Sunday in taking on the Minnesota Vikings and comes in on a five-game win streak, which includes a 22-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans as 3.5-point road favorites. The Saints have a two-game lead in the NFC South division and are also trying to secure the No. 2 spot in the NFC playoff picture. “There’s some scoreboard watching because that two-seed would be important,” stated Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief. New Orleans is 8-3 ATS as a favorite this year, but 0-2 ATS when laying 3.5 to 7 points on the road.
The Saints will likely come out of this week with a victory if they avoid turning the ball over, as the franchise is 20-0 all-time under head coach Sean Payton when not committing a single miscue. New Orleans has a dismal 8-18 record against Minnesota, dropping its last four regular-season visits to Mall of America Field. Quarterback Drew Brees is the NFL’s leader in passing yards, while also direction the No. 1 offense in the league in gaining 447.8 yards per game. On the defensive side of the ball, the unit is preparing to face running back Adrian Peterson, who has rushed for 209 yards on 44 carries in two games against Gregg Williams’ defense.
Minnesota aims to snap a five-game losing streak and also cover the spread in two consecutive games for the first time since Oct. 30. The Vikings were handed a 34-28 loss by the Detroit Lions last week as 10-point road underdogs, going ‘over’ the total in four of their last five games. All signs point to Peterson being back in the lineup after missing three games with an ankle injury. “I wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent, but I would say I’m good enough to play,” he stated in practice this week. Minnesota is 3-0 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points this year.
The Vikings will start rookie quarterback Christian Ponder if he show signs that he’s able to endure a hip pointer injury that he suffered two weeks ago. Minnesota head coach Leslie Frazier has already made that announcement despite last week’s brilliant performance by backup Joe Webb. On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary needs to make some type of play, allowing 2,035 passing yards and 20 touchdowns since their last interception.
Bettors will likely back the Vikings due to their 8-3 ATS mark as a home underdog of 3.5 to 10 points, while the Saints are 3-11 ATS versus losing teams.
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