The Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots are set to do battle on the turf at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff for this big game is pegged for 4:25 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to FOX.
Week 13 Betting Preview: New England Patriots vs. Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota is a live dog here and is currently getting 6 points. The Vikings are also receiving +190 moneyline odds while the Patriots are -230. If one squad can catch a lucky break early it would result in a nice live betting opportunity. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 48 points.
Early action has slanted toward the Pats. The line initially opened at -5 and the game’s total was originally 48.5.
Each of these teams has 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 in Week 12. The passing attack was sharp as Kirk Cousins completed 29 passes on 38 attempts for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Latavius Murray (just 33 yards on 11 rush 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) handled the receiving duties in the win.
New England is coming off of a 27-13 win over the Jets a week ago. The defensive secondary allowed the Jets to air it out for 276 yards. Quincy Enunwa was a bright spot in the loss, posting 73 yards and a score on four catches for New York. 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 as Josh Gordon (five receptions, 70 yards) and Julian Edelman (four catches, 84 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps 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 85.3 yards per game and have six scores on the ground this year. The Pats are totaling 118.2 rushing yards per game and have 13 total rush TDs.
The Vikes offense has tallied 299.0 yards/game in the air overall and has 22 passing TDs so far. The Pats have recorded 280.1 pass yards per game and have 19 total pass scores.
Defensively, Minnesota should have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 93.6 yards and throw for 244.2 yards per game. The New England D has given up 281.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 107.7 yards per game to opposing runners. The Vikes are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.74 to opponents, while the Pats have allowed a 6.29 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Cousins has already amassed 3,027 yards on the year, and has connected on 72 percent of his 401 attempts with 20 passing scores and only five interceptions. Cousins has a 7.13 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.60 over the last two outings.
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 significant roles lately.
Tom Brady has managed to complete 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 season and 7.39 across his past two outings.
As a trio, Julian Edelman, Sony Michel and Josh Gordon have combined to account for 515 total yards and two touchdowns the last couple of outings.
Minnesota Vikings at New England Patriots NFL Pick
SU Winner: Patriots, ATS Winner: Patriots, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The New England offense has lost six fumbles this season while Minnesota has lost nine.
- The Minnesota defense has more than twice as many sacks as New England this year (36 to 17).
- Minnesota, as a team, has averaged 3.7 yards per carry across its last three games 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.
- New England has won eight of its last nine games SU, with a -24-point defeat to Tennessee on November 11th representing its only loss over that span.
