Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints 1/5/20 NFL Betting Odds and Prediction

The Minnesota Vikings take on the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The game will be a rematch of last year’s playoff game which has been dubbed as the “Minneapolis Miracle” due to its dramatic finish. In that game, the Vikings converted on a 61-yard touchdown in the divisional round to advance to the NFC Championship Game. Although the names of the teams aren’t the same as last season and the venue has been flipped to New Orleans, this is a revenge game in the minds of the Saints.

Getting Cook Back

The Minnesota Vikings closed out their regular season campaign with a loss to the Chicago Bears in a game where they rested their starters. With the loss, The Vikings closed out their 2019 season with a 10-6 SU record and will be on the road in the wild card round. Minnesota is expected to get running back Dalvin Cook back for this game after he missed the previous month of action due to injury.

Cook accounts for half of Minnesota’s rush offense but he has averaged just 36 rushing yards per game in his last four contests. He is also the Vikings’ second-best receiver behind Steffon Diggs. With Cook out, Kirk Cousins averaged just 190 passing yards per game while throwing only three scores with three picks. With Cook playing, Cousins threw for an average of 258 yards with 10 touchdowns and only one interception.

Cousins has thrown for a total of 3,603 passing yards with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions. Cook has rushed for a total of 1,135 yards with 13 touchdowns and has caught a total of 519 yards. Diggs leads Minnesota with 63 catches for 1,130 receiving yards with six touchdowns. Adam Thielen has caught 30 passes for a total of 418 receiving yards.

Saints’ Explosive Offense

The New Orleans Saints lost just once in their last seven games played and they finished the regular season with a 13-3 SU record. The Saints’ explosive offense scored 34 or more points in six out of their last seven games and they have scored a touchdown on 80% of their red-zone trips in their last three games played.

Despite missing several games early in the season due to a thumb injury, Drew Brees has thrown for a total of 2,979 passing yards with 27 touchdowns. Alvin Kamara collected 797 rushing yards with five touchdowns on 171 carries while Latavius Murray has 637 rushing yards with five touchdowns on 146 carries. Michael Thomas has caught a league-best 149 passes for 1,725 receiving yards with nine touchdowns.

The New Orleans secondary has a couple of questionable names but they are expected to play in this contest. Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins are out due to injury but aside from the two defensive linemen, the Saints are healthy and ready to take on the Vikings on Sunday.

Who Wins?

Minnesota is 8-4 SU in their last 12 games played. The Vikings are 4-4 SU in eight road games played this season. New Orleans is 6-1 SU in their last seven games played. The Saints are 13-4 SU in their last 17 games played at home. Head to head, the Saints are 5-2 SU in their last seven games played against the Vikings.

Minnesota is expected to get a big boost with the return of running back Dalvin Cook who missed the action last month due to a shoulder injury. Adam Thielen hasn’t been a factor since returning from injury but the Vikings are expected to give the Saints a good fight here with a balanced attack.

The Saints have won six out of their last seven games played and they have scored 34 points in six of those games as well. Drew Brees has gotten the Saints’ offense humming again after missing six games due to a thumb injury. There are no major injuries for the Saints who will be without Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins.

The Saints head to this game on a roll and carrying plenty of momentum. New Orleans has produced a touchdown in 80% of their red-zone trips in their last three games played and their passing game has produced nearly 20 more yards per game than their season average during that span. I think Cook’s return makes this a contest but New Orleans rolls forward with a win.

Prediction: New Orleans Saints

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Other Bets to Make

The Vikings are 9-7 ATS in 16 games played this season. Minnesota is 4-4 ATS in eight road games played this year, and 6-3 ATS in their last nine games against the NFC Conference. The Saints are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. New Orleans is 4-4 ATS in eight home games this season, and 5-1 ATS in their last six games played against the NFC North Division. Head to head, the Saints are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played against the Vikings.

Minnesota is 38-14 ATS in their last 52 games after suffering a loss. The Vikings are also 42-18-1 ATS in their last 61 games played on turf. The Saints are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as home favorites, and 1-4 ATS in their last five playoff games. Cook’s return gives Minnesota’s offense the balance it needs to keep up with Brees. I think the Saints will win but I don’t trust so much their ability to cover. The Saints have failed to cover seven or more points in their last six games played. I’ll take the plus points here.

Prediction: Vikings +8

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The total has gone over in six out of the last eight games played by the Vikings. The over is 5-0 in Minnesota’s last five games on the road. The total has gone over in five out of the last seven games played by the Saints. The over is 4-1 in their last five games against the NFC Conference, and the over is also 5-0 in New Orleans’ last five Sunday games. Head to head, the total has gone over in eight out of the last 11 games between these two teams.

These teams have combined to score an average of 49.9 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 50.33 points per game in their most recent three head to head encounters. The return of Dalvin Cook is expected to boost the Vikings’ offense and enable them to keep up with the Saints’ explosive scoring ability. These teams have been involved in many shootouts in recent history. This one should be no different.

Prediction: Over 49

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