After a crazy week with a comeback crazier than anyone’s, Minnesota Vikings predictions were going into the game the Vikings will play the New York Giants on the NFL schedule this week.
Both teams look to be in postseason form, which will be the clash of two different styles.
Can the high-scoring Vikings get the win, or will the tough defense of the Giants bring the Vikings to a stop?
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Giants and Vikings will kick off at noon on December 24th, a Saturday, in U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
The Vikings are currently sitting at the top of the NFC North at 11-3, as the Giants sit in 3rd place in the NFC East with an 8-5-1 record though they’re 10-4 against the spread this season if you’re trying to make some of the Giants vs Vikings best bets.
Last Game Score
The New York Giants are coming into this one after beating their division rivals, the Washington Commanders, 20-12 in a very competitive match, which helps further cement the New York Giants’ standings.
While the Giants’ offense struggled to get anything productive outside of the 2nd quarter, the defense was recovering two fumbles and racking up three sacks.
The offense struggled on 3rd down, only converting 2 of their 10; however, they still managed to convert more than their opponents, who only converted one.
The Vikings are riding the high of making history after they made the largest comeback in NFL history. Kirk Cousins went off putting up insane NFL player stats, completing 34 of 54 passes for 460 yards, 4 TDs, and 2 INTs as he willed his team to a 39-36 Overtime victory after being down 33-0.
While many will remember the game as a comeback, it should be remembered that they were playing the Colts, a team with a much worse record and placement in the NFL standings.
The first half was an absolute beating, and though we should praise the Vikings for their poise and ability to come back, we should also remember when making our NFL picks this week that they didn’t cover the spread.
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings Analysis
These two teams have fundamentally different ways of playing football. The Vikings win by outscoring their opponents, while the Giants stop their opponents from scoring.
Both have found success this year with their preferred method; stylistically, this will be one of the more fun NFL matchups this week.
Giants Analysis
The Giants are currently ranked 20th in the league in points per game, averaging 20.5 a contest. They’re ranked 22nd overall in yards per game in the NFL team stats, but that’s because they don’t need a lot of yards to be successful.
They grind teams out on the ground running the ball the 6th most of any team in the league and picking up the 6th most rush yards of any team.
At the same time, maintains the 11th-best time of possession. On the other hand, the defense is playing great, holding opponents to 22.3 points a game, which is the 14th-best in the league, playing a bend but doesn’t break defense that gives up the 26th most yards but has the 4th-best red zone defense.
Vikings Analysis
The Minnesota Vikings are the exact opposite in style, trying to win track meets each week. They are averaging 25.1 points a game which is the 8th best in the league, off of 354.6 yards a game, the 13th best in the league.
Most offensive production comes through the air as the Vikings throw the ball the 3rd most of any team in the league.
Their defense isn’t getting the same product as the offense allowing 24.9 points a game, the 5th worst in the league while giving up the most yards of any team in the NFL at 399.2 a game.
With both teams pretty healthy regarding the NFL injury report, this game should be fun as we see two playoff-caliber teams play a few weeks early.
Odds Breakdown
New York Giants
The NFL odds have the Giants as +3.5 underdogs against the spread, with their moneyline odds being set at +145. The total for the game is 47.5
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings enter as -3.5 favorites against the spread with a moneyline of -170.
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Pick and Prediction
I don’t think that the Giants’ offense will be able to put up as many points as the Vikings will be able to.
Even though the Minnesota defense is horrific, I just don’t expect the Giants to be able to take advantage of it. I’m picking my Giants vs Vikings Best Bets using my prediction of a Minnesota win 27-20.
MIN -170
I’m not confident enough on a 3.5-point spread to take Minnesota. After all, that’s what the spread was last week against Indy.
However, the Vikings just find ways to win, and I expect them to get the job done in this one. The Vikings money line is my favorite of my Giants vs Vikings best bets.
U 47.5
This is a lower-scoring, highly contested game. Though the Vikings are often in high-scoring contests, it’s hard for me to think that the Giants will be able to keep up.
Even though I predicted this bet to hit by the slimmest of margins, I could see this game scoring even lower due to the matchup’s nature.
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