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New Orleans Saints vs Minnesota Vikings Pick and Preview

Taysom Hill

NFC Conference Matchup

Point Spread: Saints -3 | Total Points: 41

Coming into this week 10 NFC matchup, the Saints are in the middle of a two-game winning streak and have an above .500 record of 5-4. The Saints are coming off a win in their last game, where they beat the Bears with a score of 24-17. Although they won the game, the Saints failed to cover the spread against the Bears despite being favored by 8.5. The over/under line for their most recent game against Chicago was 41.5. Finishing with a combined total of 41 points, the under hit in this matchup.

As the Vikings prepare for this NFC matchup, the team has an overall record of 5-4. This includes riding a current four-game win streak. Against NFC opponents, they have a record of 5-2. The Vikings are coming off a win after defeating the Falcons with a final score of 31-28. Going into the game, the Vikings were actually 3.5-point underdogs. This resulted in an ATS win for the Vikings. The over/under line for the game was 38.5 points, and the teams managed to surpass it, recording a combined total of 59 points.

New Orleans Saints vs Minnesota Vikings History

In their only head-to-head matchup last season, the Vikings won by a score of 28-25. The over/under line in last year’s matchup between the Saints and Vikings was 41.5, which they surpassed with 53 points combined. The Saints finished with the ATS win in this game. Offensively, the Vikings finished with 263 passing yards and 81 rushing yards in their win over the Saints. As for New Orleans, they ended the game with 338 yards of total offense.

Last season, the Saints and Vikings did not face off head-to-head. When looking back over the last three times these two teams have played, the Vikings have the leg up at 2-1. However, against the spread, the Saints went 2-1. The over/under record in these matchups was 2-1 on an average of 61 points per game.

Notable Injuries

New Orleans Saints

  • Andrew Dowell – Knee (Out)
  • Ryan Connelly – Undisclosed (Out)
  • Trai Turner – Quadriceps (Out)
  • Payton Turner – Toe (Out)
  • Eno Benjamin – Achilles (Out)
  • Adam Prentice – Knee (Questionable)
  • Shaquan Davis – Undisclosed (Out)
  • Isaiah Foskey – Quadriceps (Questionable)
  • Kendre Miller – Ankle (Questionable)

Minnesota Vikings

  • Nick Mullens – Back (Out)
  • Marcus Davenport – Ankle (Out)
  • T.J. Hockenson – Ribs (Questionable)
  • Olisaemeka Udoh – Quad (Out)
  • K.J. Osborn – Concussion (Questionable)
  • Justin Jefferson – Hamstring (Questionable)
  • Cam Akers – Achilles (Out)
  • Kirk Cousins – Achilles (Out)
  • Dean Lowry – Groin (Questionable)
  • Chris Reed – Lower Leg (Questionable)
  • James Lynch – Knee (Out)
  • Christian Darrisaw – Groin (Questionable)
  • Brian Asamoah II – Ankle (Questionable)
  • Malik Knowles – Undisclosed (Out)
  • Jaren Hall – Concussion (Questionable)
  • Johnny Mundt – Knee (Questionable)

Keys To Victory: New Orleans Saints

Coming into week 10, the Saints offense is 15th in the league at 21.7 points per contest. Throughout the season, the New Orleans offense has done an excellent job protecting the quarterback, as they have given up 44 hits on the QB. This excellent protection has led to the team being ranked 10th in pass yards per contest. The Saints are currently 18th in the NFL with 103.9 rushing yards per game. This has come on an average of 29.1 rushing attempts (10th).

Keys To Victory: Minnesota Vikings

In what is projected to be a tightly contested game, Joshua Dobbs will be looking to put together a strong performance for a Minnesota offense ranked 13th in points per game. This season, he has completed 63.2% of his passes, leading an average of 191 yards per game in the passing attack. Overall, he is 19th among QB’s in passing yards and 9th in attempts. Against the Saints, the team will look to get receiver Justin Jefferson involved in the passing game. This year, he is averaging 10.6 targets per game, leading to an overall receiving yards total of 571. On the ground, the Vikings have run the ball an average of 22 times per game and are 29th in rushing yards. So far, they are averaging 3.6 yards per rushing attempt.

Betting Trends

  • New Orleans has played well in their previous three road games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 28 points per game while allowing 15. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
  • The Vikings are 3-0 ATS in their last three home games and 3-0 straight-up.
  • Going back to their last five games as the underdog, the Vikings have a straight-up record of 2-3. But, their mark vs the spread was just 2-2-1.
  • The last five games that New Orleans was favored, they have an ATS mark of 1-4 while going 2-3 straight up.

Prediction

  • Minnesota Vikings 21 – New Orleans Saints 20
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