Vikings vs. Bills
Time: 1 PM ET
Spread: BUF -6
M/L: BUF -250; MIN +210
Total: 43

Betting odds courtesy of Bovada

The Minnesota Vikings are just 2-4 on the season and will visit Buffalo as 6-point underdogs to a 3-3 Bills team that is just 1-2 at home.

QB Teddy Bridgewater has had his problems, throwing three INTs last week in the Vikings 17-3 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Lions put pressure on Bridgewater and the former Louisville Cardinal didn’t react well to it. By and large though, Bridgewater hasn’t been horrible. He’s still thrown 62.1 percent for completions and averages 198 yards per game. He’s thrown three INTs but all of them were in last week’s loss.

Bridgewater’s QB rating of 70.8 is as much a reflection of the Vikings inability to protect him in the pocket as much as any real weaknesses he has. With Matt Cassel indefinitely on the shelf with several bones broken in his foot, Bridgewater will continue to get his chances to set himself up in the NFL.

Adrian Peterson continues to miss games due to his child abuse case and there is no timetable on his return from the “suspension.” This has crippled the Vikings, needless to say, with few other reliable options in the backfield. Matt Asiata and Jarick McKinnnon have combined for over 400 yards, but Asiata has just three TDs and McKinnon has none.

WR Cordarrell Patterson has scored two of the Vikes’ six TDs but has just five carries on those rushes, for 97 yards. Patterson has caught 204 yards with a 12 yard per reception average and he is tied for the team lead in reception TDs (3) with No. 1 and No. 2 WRs Greg Jennings and Jarius Wright.

Buffalo has done one thing really well this year: rush defense. The Bills lead the NFL in rush defense, surrendering just 67.5 yards per game to opposing offenses. The Bills have been less than stellar offensively though, ranking in the bottom-third in both passing and rushing yardage.

Kyle Orton got the start last week at QB for the Bills and threw for 299 yards and two TDs. He was sacked five times for a total loss of 31 yards, and he also threw an interception, but E.J. Manuel is not the starter, at least for the time being. The Bills are just 1-2 at home, and it’s unlikely to change for the better this week.

Orton has been better in the slot than Manuel but doesn’t add much of a dual-threat aspect as the former Florida State Seminole Manuel. Manuel rushed for 52 yards before being demoted, but it is Orton with a better completion ratio, yards per reception and QB rating.