NFC Wild Card Eagles vs Vikings
The Eagles roll into Minnesota to take on a Vikings team that was all out to beat the New York Giants last Sunday even though the Giants rested quarterback Eli Manning in the second half. By contrast, Philadelphia needed the entire world to pretty much crash in order to make the playoffs. Luckily for them it did. Not only did the Chicago Bears lose to the Houston Texans but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Oakland Raiders. That allowed the Eagles to control their own destiny by thumping the rival Dallas Cowboys in Philadelphia 44 to 6. The Eagles have been an up and down team in the straight-up department this season going 9-6-1 but in the sports betting against the spread department Philly has been very good going 10 and 6 overall. NFL betting fans will notice that the Eagles’ defense is playing better now than it has all season long.
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot to prove in these NFL Playoffs. They do have the best player in football, Adrian Peterson, running for them, but they haven’t figured out their quarterback situation. First, Tarvaris Jackson gets benched for Gus Frerrotte. Then, Gus Frerrotte gets benched for Tarvaris Jackson. Neither guy can play well enough to take the Vikings deep into the playoffs. Minnesota is 10 and 6 straight-up this season but against the BetUS online betting spread they’ve gone 6 and 10.
Here are the BetUS Sportsbook online NFL betting odds for this game:
Philadelphia Eagles – 3 – 120 – 170 O 42 – 110
Minnesota Vikings + 3 Ev + 150 U 42 – 110
Here are a few online betting trends that might help us find a good online bet in this game:
The Philadelphia Eagles are 7 and 3 against the spread versus a team with a winning record.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-7-1 against the spread in their last 11 games as a favorite on the road.
The Minnesota Vikings are 3 and 7 against the spread in their last 10 home games.
The Minnesota Vikings are 6 and 13 against the spread in their last 19 games overall.
The Vikings have to find a way to keep that Eagles’ rush away from whichever quarterback they start. They have a decent wide receiver in Bernard Berrian and Adrian Peterson is the best in the NFL, but without good quarterback, or at least mistake free, quarterback play Minnesota is doomed.
No defensive team in the NFL is better at pressuring the quarterback than the Philadelphia Eagles. Jimmie Johnson’s defensive schemes are always on point. That could be the reason that the Eagles are football betting favorites on the road in this playoff game.
But Philly isn’t just all about defense. Donovan McNabb is playing extremely well right now and his wide receivers are responding to his leadership. More importantly for the Eagles on the offensive end, Corell Buckhalter is starting to play well enough to spell Brian Westbrook. That’s a huge advantage for Philly because now they have two excellent running backs, both of which can catch out of the backfield, to go along with Donovan’s fantastic play-making ability.
The Eagles had to fight hard to get into the playoffs. They won’t let the chance slip away from them.
Wildcard Eagles vs. Vikings Prediction:
I see the Eagles covering the 3 point BetUS online betting spread by beating the Vikings by at least 6 in this game.
