The Minnesota Vikings 5-0 start to the season seems like a distant memory now as they have dropped six of their last seven to fall to .500 with four games left in the regular season. Now the Vikings will travel to Florida hoping they can remain in the NFC Wild Card picture with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars this week.
Moneyline: Minnesota -175
Handicap/Spread Odds: Minnesota -3
Total O/U: 39.5
Last 5 Meetings: (Road/Home – Spread/Total)
| 09/09/12 | JAC 23 – MIN 26 | JAC 3.5 | O 38 |
| 11/23/08 | MIN 30 – JAC 12 | MIN 1 | O 41.5 |
| 11/28/04 | JAC 16 – MIN 27 | MIN -6 | U 45.5 |
| 12/23/01 | JAC 33 – MIN 3 | JAC 3 | U 45 |
| 12/20/98 | JAC 10 – MIN 50 | MIN -13.5 | O 48.5 |
On The Vikings Side of the Ball (6-6 Record, 7-5 ATS)
The Minnesota defense held the Dallas Cowboys to under 270 offensive yards and recovered two fumbles to make last week’s Thursday Night Football matchup interesting despite ultimately falling 17-15. The Vikings will once again lean on their second-ranked scoring defense when they take on the Jaguars this week but they will definitely need more from their offense if they are going to win this game. Sam Bradford completed 32-of-45 pass attempts for 247 yards and a touchdown and didn’t have an interception against Dallas so that is a decent performance to build on heading in to this week. Now the Minnesota offense needs to take another positive step forward and build on that performance with an even stronger outing in Jacksonville this week.
Last 5 Results:
| 12/01/16 | DAL | L 15-17 | W 3 | U 43.5 |
| 11/24/16 | @ DET | L 13-16 | L 1.5 | U 42 |
| 11/20/16 | ARI | W 30-24 | W -2 | O 39.5 |
| 11/13/16 | @ WAS | L 20-26 | L 2.5 | O 42 |
| 11/06/16 | DET | L 16-22 | L -4.5 | U 42.5 |
On The Jaguars Side of the Ball (2-10 Record; 5-7 ATS)
The Jaguars fell to 2-10 on the season when they suffered their seventh-straight loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos last week. Jacksonville has shown flashes of its potential throughout the year but last week’s loss clinched its seventh consecutive losing season and there were significant issues on both sides of the football once again. Their biggest problem was on offense as Blake Bortles completed just 19-of-42 pass attempts for 181 yards and a pair of interceptions including a pick-six. Jacksonville is not good enough to overcome turnovers and Bortles has now thrown three pick-six interceptions over the last four weeks. Meanwhile, the Jaguars defense struggled to slow down a rookie quarterback on the other side of the football in Paxton Lynch and their inability to create turnovers has made their issues on offense that much more glaring this season.
Last 5 Results:
| 12/04/16 | DEN | L 10-20 | L 3.5 | O 38.5 |
| 11/27/16 | @ BUF | L 21-28 | W 8.5 | O 43.5 |
| 11/20/16 | @ DET | L 19-26 | L 5.5 | U 47 |
| 11/13/16 | HOU | L 21-24 | L -3 | O 42 |
| 11/06/16 | @ KC | L 14-19 | W 7 | U 42.5 |
Quick Analysis
Jacksonville is just 1-5 at home this season, so it’s not like they have managed to create any home field advantage at EverBank Field. They scored 23 points in their home-opener against Green Bay but have since averaged just 18.8 points per game at home. Even that number is heavily inflated by a 30-point effort against the Indianapolis Colts.
Meanwhile, Minnesota has dropped four straight on the road after winning its first two away from home. Something will have to give when these teams clash and the edge could go to a Vikings’ team that has covered in two of its last three overall.
Prediction
For as terrible as the offense has looked at times during the Vikings slide, they should be able to find a way to put up some points against a Jacksonville defense that has been terrible all year. Bradford will need to play mistake-free football and if that happens, then Minnesota will be able to move the ball effectively and keep the Jaguars’ offense off the field.
Meanwhile, the Vikings defense should have an easy time of things against a Jacksonville offense that continues to shoot themselves in the foot. For his career, Bortles has produced just 10 wins but 11 pick-sixes. Now he has to go up against one of the better defensive units in the NFL. The Vikings showed enough positive signs in last week’s loss to Dallas to buy their stock in this one with a chance to keep their fading playoff hopes alive with a win in Jacksonville.
Pick: Vikings -3.5
Note: Lines subject to change leading up to kick-off, so please be aware of the possibility of line movements.
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