Both the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons enter their Week 13 showdown riding winning streaks. The Vikings have won seven in a row and now sit at 9-2, three games ahead of Detroit in the NFC North. The Falcons have won three straight and are one game behind Carolina and New Orleans in the NFC South. Atlanta knocked off Dallas, Seattle and Tampa Bay in their streak, and the Vikings come off a long week of rest after beating Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. Take a look at our NFL odds preview of this battle between two potential playoff opponents.
The problems for Atlanta come on defense, particularly once the game enters the second half. It seems that the collapse against New England in the Super Bowl last year hangs on the minds of the Falcons. While that was not an issue against Dallas or Tampa Bay, the Falcons’ win against Seattle saw the Seahawks mount a furious comeback in the second half. In fact, if Seahawks coach Pete Carroll had kicked a field goal late in the first half instead of trying a fake, or if he had not blown a challenge early in the second half that ate up a vital time out, that game might have turned out in Seattle’s favor. If you like the Falcons, you see their defense standing tall for 60 minutes while their offense pushes the ball through a stout Viking defense.
Minnesota at Atlanta NFL Odds & Betting Pick for Week 13
When: Sunday, December 3, 2017, 1:00pm ET Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta TV: FOX Radio: KFAN 100.3 FM Minneapolis/St. Paul / 92.9 FM The Game Atlanta Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Odds: Atlanta (-3), O/U 47Will the #Vikings pick up their 10th win of the season on Sunday?
The experts weigh in. 📰: https://t.co/Dpus4X4gHa pic.twitter.com/ylVilX17bp — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 1, 2017
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 16°C/60°F
- Humidity: 68%
- Precipitation: 3%
- Wind: 4 moh WNW
- Cloud Cover: 56%
- Type of Stadium: Retractable
Why should you bet on the Vikings?
The Minnesota Vikings have established themselves as a dominant defensive force in the NFL, particularly with their shutdown of the Los Angeles Rams. Their main problem this Sunday could be Atlanta wideout Julio Jones, who picked up 253 receiving yards as the Falcons beat Tampa Bay last week. Expect Minnesota cornerback Xavier Rhodes to cover Jones most of the time. They have faced off in two games previously, with Jones making a combined four catches on six targets, picking up 45 yards combined when Rhodes was covering him. Only one opposing receiver has had a 100-yard day against the Vikings this year, and that was Detroit’s Marvin Jones on Thanksgiving. On offense, Case Keenum has cemented himself into the starting job as quarterback because of his aggressive play and his ability to find open receivers down the field while also moving the ball with his feet when protection breaks down. So even though Teddy Bridgewater has been cleared to play, the Vikings are staying with the hot hand. Latavius Murray is doing enough in the running game to keep teams from teeing off on the pass rush.Why should you put your money on the Falcons?
Before Atlanta started their three-game winning streak with a thrashing of Dallas, they had dropped four out of five. However, they have revved their offense back up and now are ranked sixth overall in yards gained per contest. In that standout performance last week, Julio Jones scored a pair of touchdowns. In these three games, Matt Ryan has tossed five touchdown passes and just a single pick. When the offense is firing on all cylinders, there are few teams in the NFL that can hang with the Falcons.
The problems for Atlanta come on defense, particularly once the game enters the second half. It seems that the collapse against New England in the Super Bowl last year hangs on the minds of the Falcons. While that was not an issue against Dallas or Tampa Bay, the Falcons’ win against Seattle saw the Seahawks mount a furious comeback in the second half. In fact, if Seahawks coach Pete Carroll had kicked a field goal late in the first half instead of trying a fake, or if he had not blown a challenge early in the second half that ate up a vital time out, that game might have turned out in Seattle’s favor. If you like the Falcons, you see their defense standing tall for 60 minutes while their offense pushes the ball through a stout Viking defense.
Latest NFL Odds Trends
- Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 games
- Minnesota is 5-0 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games
- Atlanta is 1-3-1 ATS in the last 5 games when playing Minnesota
- Atlanta is 4-1 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went OVER in 18 of Atlanta’s last 25 games
