Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 9/18/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: Minnesota -3.5
Current Betting Line: Minnesota -3
Opening Total: 41
Current Total: 41.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings will both be looking to bounce back from season-opening losses last week when they square off at the Metrodome on Sunday. Each team lost by a touchdown and hopes a more balanced offense will translate to a victory in Week 2.
Minnesota (0-1) actually got off to a great start at San Diego with wide receiver Percy Harvin running the opening kickoff back 103 yards for a touchdown. The Vikings (-3, O/U 41.5) even built a 17-7 lead at halftime, but they could not generate any offense in the season half en route to a 24-17 loss.
Donovan McNabb was a major disappointment for Minnesota in his first game wearing purple, as he passed for only 39 yards with one touchdown and one interception. McNabb was more effective running the ball with three carries for 32 yards while running back Adrian Peterson led the way with 16 attempts for 98 yards.
Tampa Bay did not look much better at home in a 27-20 home loss to Detroit, with quarterback Josh Freeman coming up short despite completing a career-high 28 passes. Freeman threw for 259 yards, but like McNabb, he also had one touchdown and one interception.
Like Minnesota, the Bucs got off to a fast start against the Lions, picking off QB Matthew Stafford and returning the interception back 28 yards for a touchdown to take an early 10-3 lead. But Detroit scored 24 of the next 27 points, including three Stafford passing touchdowns, two of which went to Pro Bowl wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
Tampa’s running game never got going, with RB LeGarrette Blount carrying the ball just five times for 15 yards. Freeman led the team with 26 rushing yards, but 15 of them came on one run. The Bucs were 7-2 last year when Blount rushed for at least 57 yards.
The Bucs went 6-2 on the road last year and are 13-3-1 against the spread in their past 17 games away from home. They have also won each of the last four meetings with the Vikings both straight-up and ATS, although the teams have played just twice since 2002.
Three of the last four meetings have been played in Tampa, and the home team is also 13-3-1 ATS in the past 17 games of the all-time series. Minnesota has seen six of its last seven games go UNDER the total, including the preseason. The UNDER is also 7-2 in the past nine games for the Bucs on turf.
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