Though Minnesota had their fair share of success this season, the team has struggled lately, losing two of its last five. The game will begin Sunday, Dec 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBC.
Minnesota blew out the Bears 38-17 last week. Teddy Bridgewater had a big game throwing the ball in the win, completing 17 of 20 passes for 231 yards and four TDs. Stefon Diggs added 55 yards and two TDs on three receptions. New York didn’t have the same success as Minnesota, losing a close one to the Panthers 38-35. Eli Manning had an outstanding performance passing the ball for the Giants, completing 29 of 46 passes for 245 yards, four TDs and one interception. Rashad Jennings also had a big day, contributing 107 yards and a TD on 16 attempts.
Minnesota is a four-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 44 points.
The Vikings enter the game with records of 9-5 Straight Up (SU) and 11-3 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Minnesota is 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Vikings have the league’s fifth-ranked rushing offense with 131.6 yards per game. As for the Minnesota defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. New York averages 3.4 yards per carry on the road, ranking 29th in the league. Keep an eye on Minnesota to amplify focus during the third quarter of home games, where it averages 7.4 points. On special teams, Minnesota has some playmakers. They average 105.1 return yards per game, second in the NFL.
Moving to the road team, the Giants have 6-8 SU and 8-5-1 ATS records this season. The Giants went 1-4 SU and 3-2 ATS over the last five games. The Vikings may be catching the Giants at the wrong time. They have found their groove throwing the ball, averaging 300.8 passing yards during the past five games. A home-field advantage does not give Minnesota the benefit of the doubt on infractions. The Vikings average 71.9 penalty yards in home games, making them one of the worst in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Min, ATS Winner – Min, O/U – Under
Notes
Minnesota is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Minnesota’s last 15 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 8 games at home.
Minnesota is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home.
Minnesota is 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games when playing NY Giants.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 7 games when playing NY Giants.
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Giants.
Minnesota is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games when playing at home against NY Giants.
New York is 5-4 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Minnesota is 8-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 5-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Minnesota is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its fifth-ranked rushing attack will face the 20th-ranked run defense of New York, while its 19th-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 25th-ranked run game of the Giants.
Minnesota has allowed 20.4 points per game at home this year, which is ranked 15th in the NFL. The New York offense has averaged 26.1 points per contest on the road (ranked sixth overall).
