Blowout Special: Vikings vs Lions

Brett Favre Ready To Roll Over Detroit Lions At Home, Off Bye

I’m getting the pick out of the way first because the Lions are 1-4 ATS on the road and aren’t going to be able to smell the gas coming out of Adrian Peterson’s tailpipe as they steamroll the paltry Lions to a mega-spread win. Bet Vikings. Instead, I’m going to write about the Vikings, whose championship hopes are getting lost amongst the excitement of the Steelers, Colts, Saints, Cowboys and Patriots. The media has been in such a frenzy because of the past week of football, that many forgot to include Minnesota in the discussion. I ranked them third overall in the league and here’s why:

First, from a NFL betting standpoint, they’re 5-2 ATS at home and that they’ll be able to improve a 1-5 ATS record at home by padding a 6-2-1 ATS record against Detroit. Simply put, they’re going to be one of the toughest premier team bets because of Brett Favre playing in the cold, and whether the toll of the season will start to wear down his 40-year old body. You have to play it week by week, but an elderly quarterback hobbling around with a sore groin doesn’t exactly excite me.

What I truly love about the Vikings right now is their schedule. There aren’t many teams keeping up with them and the Saints meaning that a first round bye in the playoffs is all but assured if they can maintain this pace. Look at their schedule for the rest of the season though:

• Week 10 – Detroit (-15.5)
• Week 11 – Seattle
• Week 12/16 – Chicago
• Week 13 – @ Arizona
• Week 14 – Cincinnati
• Week 15 - @ Carolina
• Week 17 – NYG
  
  

That’s right, they have three road games for the remainder of the season, and only one of them (Week 16 @ Chicago) is in a cold weather stadium. On top of that, they’re only going to play two teams (Arizona, Cincinnati) that are even worth worrying about. By the time they get to  Week 17 against the Giants they’ll know if they have a playoff bye and can rest Brett Favre for two weeks before his playoff debut in 2010.

See what I mean? It’s not unconceivable for the Vikings to go 14-2 SU or 13-3 SU and claim second in the NFC to earn a home field throughout the playoffs. In all likelihood, they’d face the Saints in the NFC Championship and that’s in a dome too. The cold weather isn’t a factor, then, for Brett Favre which means that you can go ahead and pencil them in to the NFC Championship game.

As long as Favre is healthy, and inside out of the cold, the Vikings are a dangerous team. With the second best road offense in the league, scoring 30.5 points per game, and one of the best defenses in the league, the Vikings are one of the best bets in the NFL right now.

Furious Free Pick: Minnesota -15.5 (OVER)