The Minnesota Vikings (+6) will meet the New England Patriots (-6) at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff for this critical showdown is set for 4:25 p.m. ET and FOX is in line to have the TV rights.
Minnesota Vikings +6 +210 ov 48.5
New England Patriots -6 -260 un 48.5
Odds Provided by BetDSI.eu
Minnesota Vikings at New England Patriots Betting Preview
Minnesota is projected as the underdog and is currently getting 6 points in this game. The Vikings are also receiving +190 moneyline odds while the Patriots are -230. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 48 points. Some decent live betting opportunities may exist during the game.
Sharp bettors tend to be siding with the Pats. The line originally opened at -5 while the total was initially 48.5.
Both of these teams have been profitable this season as the Vikings have gained 3.4 units and the Patriots are ahead 1.4 units.
The Vikings are 6-4-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Patriots are 8-3 SU.
The Vikes are coming off a 24-17 victory over Green Bay last week where Kirk Cousins completed 29-of-38 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Latavius Murray (only 33 rushing yards on 11 attempts) and Dalvin Cook (29 yards on 10 carries) led the ground attack while Adam Thielen (eight receptions, 125 yards, one TD) and Stefon Diggs (eight catches, 77 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
New England is coming off of a 27-13 win over the Jets last week. The defensive secondary let the Jets air it out for 276 yards. Quincy Enunwa had a good showing in the loss for New York, posting 73 yards and a score on four catches. For New England, Tom Brady completed 20-of-31 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns. Sony Michel (133 rushing yards on 21 attempts, one TD) and James White (73 yards on nine carries) spearheaded the running game while Josh Gordon (five receptions, 70 yards) and Julian Edelman (four catches, 84 yards, one TD) led the receiving attack in the win.
Minnesota has run the ball on 34.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while New England has an overall rush percentage of 43.6 percent. The Vikings have rushed for 85 yards/game and have six scores on the ground this year. The Pats are logging 118 rushing yards per game and have 13 total rush TDs.
The Vikes offensive scheme has averaged 299 yards through the air overall and has 22 passing TDs so far. The Pats have produced 280 pass yards per game and have 19 total pass scores.
Defensively, Minnesota appears to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed 94 rush yards and 244 pass yards per game. The New England defense has allowed 281.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 107.7 yards per game on the ground. The Vikes are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.74 to opponents, while the Pats have allowed a 6.29 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Cousins has already amassed 3,027 yards this year, and has connected on 288-of-401 attempts with 20 scores through the air and only five interceptions. Cousins has a 7.13 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.60 over the last two games.
Stefon Diggs (664 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns this season), Adam Thielen (1,072 receiving yards, eight receiving TDs) and Dalvin Cook (216 rush yards, 174 receiving yards, one TD) have each played key roles lately.
Tom Brady has connected on 241-of-361 passes for 2,777 yards, 19 TDs and seven INTs for New England. His ANY/A sits at 7.36 for the year and 7.39 across his last two outings.
Julian Edelman, Sony Michel and Josh Gordon have combined to account for 515 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
RELATED: Week 13 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
Minnesota has produced 3.7 yards per carry over its past three contests and 2.6 over its last two.
New England has averaged 4.4 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.6 over its last two.
The New England offense has lost six fumbles this season while Minnesota has lost nine.
New England has won eight of its last nine games SU, with a -24-point defeat to Tennessee on November 11th representing its lone loss over that span.
The Vikings offense has created three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Patriots have accounted for six such plays.
The Minnesota defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while New England has given up seven such plays.
The Minnesota offense has created nine rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while New England has created eight such runs.
The Vikings defense has allowed two rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Patriots have given up six such runs.
The Minnesota defense has more than twice as many sacks as New England this year (36 to 17).
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