in NFL Free Picks

The Denver Broncos, who have played exceptionally at home. They need the Redskins to lose now, but the Vikings can do their part by beating Denver as road favorites. Can Minnesota continue their Cinderella story by beating Mike Shanahan, who would love nothing more than to derail the Vikings playoff dreams?

Minnesota Offense vs. Denver Defense

The Broncos have the third worst rushing defense in the league, so facing the league’s best rushing defense must seem like a daunting task for an injury-riddled and troubled defensive front-seven for the Broncos. The Vikes average a whopping 164.1 rushing yards per game and will absolutely overwhelm the Broncos with a steady dose of Adrian Peterson. Don’t forget that Peterson will be after the rushing title in his rookie year, so saying that this won’t be a big game for Peterson is like saying that the Britney’s parents have done a fine job raising their idiot children.

Safety Jon Lynch is finally showing his age and has become a non-threat on the field (which is painful to even write). The Broncos still have two coverage sacking corner backs in Dre Bly and Champ Bailey who can completely take advantage of a Vikings quarterback Tavaris Jackson. The Vikings only average 172.3 passing yards per game, while the Denver secondary only gives up 195.6 passing yards.

Denver Offense vs. Minnesota Defense

Away from home, Jay Cutler is a mess. He throws the ball everywhere around the field except in to his receiver’s hands. Brandon Marshall has emerged as a dominant receiving threat, but still has virtually no help. The Vikings secondary allows a stunning 266.3 passing yards per game and the Broncos usually amass 230.1 passing yards per home game.

The Denver rushing attack is the staple of its offense, but gearing up against one of the best rushing defenses in the league will be difficult for Travis Henry or Selvin Young. The Vikings only give up 70.5 rushing yards per game and will look to contain the rushing attack of Mike Shanahan so that they can drop more defensive backs in to coverage. Jay Cutler is a vulnerable quarterback who continues to make some brutal mistakes, and the Vikings secondary loves to ball-hawk passes out of the air. They have 15 interceptions on the year.

NFL Betting Trends

-Minnesota is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games

-Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

-Total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 6 games

-Denver is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games

-Denver is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games when playing Minnesota

Final Verdict

Denver has had a mediocre season and have little to nothing to play for. They know where they stand, and have plenty of excuses. Javon Walker’s injury, problems with the defensive line, difficulties in the secondary with an injury-riddled Lynch and problems on the special teams side all add up to a headache for Shanahan. The bigger pain in the neck, however, will be watching Adrian Peterson steamroll the Broncos listless rush defense en route to a victory.

Denver Broncos (6-9)

Sunday, December 30th --- Invesco Field, Denver --- 4:15pm EST

: Minnesota -3 (42.5)

NFL Betting Free Pick: Minnesota 27 Denver 20

The 2007 and beyond!