The Minnesota Vikings (-17) are set to welcome the Buffalo Bills to Minnesota. This early afternoon game is scheduled to commence at 1:00 p.m. ET and CBS will televise the action.
Buffalo Bills vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Preview
Minnesota has been tabbed as heavily favored in this matchup and is currently giving up 17 points to Buffalo. It appears that there will likely be some good in-game betting opportunities for the matchup, and Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 40.5 points.
The game’s over/under was placed initially at 41.5, but the under has received the majority of the early sharp action.
The Bills are 0-2 against the spread (ATS) and are down 2.0 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an O/U mark of 2-0. The Vikings are up 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 1-1 ATS and own an O/U record of 1-1.
The Bills have gone 0-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Vikings are 1-0-1 SU.
The Bills fell to the Chargers 31-20 in a Week 2 contest where their defense allowed the Chargers to rush for 109 yards on 26 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Offensively, Josh Allen completed only 18 passes on 33 attempts for 245 yards, one score and two interceptions. LeSean McCoy (39 rushing yards on nine attempts) led the ground attack. McCoy (four receptions, 29 yards) and Zay Jones (two catches, 63 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Minnesota is coming off of a 29-29 tie with Green Bay in Week 2. Kirk Cousins completed 35-of-48 passes for 425 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Dalvin Cook (38 rushing yards on 10 attempts) mounted the running game as Adam Thielen (12 receptions, 131 yards, one TD) and Stefon Diggs (nine catches, 128 yards, two TDs) led the receiving corps in the loss.
Buffalo has run the ball on 40.0 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Minnesota has an overall rush percentage of 37.3 percent. The Bills have produced 84 rush yards/game and have one score on the ground this year. The Vikes are logging 92 rushing yards per game and have yet to record a rush TD.
If the results so far this season are any indication, then the Vikes might have the more disruptive lines up front, as their offensive line has allowed just five sacks while the D-line has registered seven sacks. The Bills offensive line has allowed 11 sacks and their defense has recorded only four sacks.
The Bills offense has logged 172 yards/contest in the air overall and has only one passing TD so far. The Vikes have recorded 335 pass yards per contest and have six total pass score.
Defensively, Buffalo has allowed 113 rush yards and 258 pass yards per game. The Minnesota defense has allowed 271.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 94.0 yards per game on the ground. The Vikes are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.82 to opposing QBs, while the Bills have given up a whopping 8.87 ANY/A.
Offensively, Allen is up to 245 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 18-of-33 attempts with one scores through the air and two interceptions. Allen has a 3.66 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 3.52 over the last two games.
We expect the Buffalo offense to mix it up in this one. Zay Jones (63 receiving yards on the year), LeSean McCoy (39 rush yards) and Josh Allen (32 rush yards, 0 receiving yards) have each played significant roles lately.
For the home team, Kirk Cousins has connected on 35-of-48 passes for 425 yards, four TDs and one INT. Cousins’ ANY/A sits at 8.94 for the year and 8.02 across his past two games.
Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook and Stefon Diggs have combined for 598 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns over the last couple of games.
Free NFL Tip: Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings
SU Winner – , ATS Winner – Bills, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
Minnesota has lost one fumble this season while Buffalo has yet to lose any.
The Minnesota defensive unit has created seven sacks on the year while Buffalo has four.
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