Tag: Vegas Spreads

Week 2: Patriots at Vikings Prediction

NFL Week 2 betting action sees the New England Patriots taking on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 14 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Stay tuned to Cappers Picks as we provide free NFL handicapping tips all season long.

The Minnesota Vikings host the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in Week 2 NFL action. The Patriots come to town looking for a major bounce back, while the Vikings will be looking to just keep their heads afloat after Friday’s devastating developments.

NFL Odds

Who: New England Patriots (0-1) at Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
Date: Sunday, September 14, 2014
Time: 1:00 pm ET
Venue: TCF Bank Field
City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
NFL O/U Betting Lines: 48
NFL Point Spread: Patriots -7
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The Vikings lost their top offensive playmaker for an indefinite period of time Friday when Adrian Peterson was indicted in Texas on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. The team will now lean on backup Matt Asiata, and rookie Jerick McKinnon to carry the load.

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That’s a significant blow to a Viking offense that relied so heavily on Peterson to move the football. The 2012 NFL MVP gives way to Asiata, who ran for 115 yards in the season finale a year ago when Peterson sat with a sprained foot, but he’s just a between-the-tackles plodder who lacks explosiveness.

The rookie, McKinnon, is the more explosive player, who has the ability to make big plays with his speed and athleticism.

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That won’t serve the team well Sunday as McKinnon will cede early touches to Asiata, and the Patriots surely won’t give him a lot of room to operate.

That’s also going to put a lot more pressure on Matt Cassel to accomplish something through the air. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick knows Cassel well from their time together in New England, and he’ll surely put together a game plan that will exploit Cassel’s weaknesses.

As for the Patriots, they had a tough start to their year, dropping their opener in Miami against the division rival Dolphins. The team’s offensive line did a poor job in front of Tom Brady, which really limited the effectiveness of the team’s offense.

They should arrive in Minnesota better prepared, and can be expected to make some noise against a Vikings secondary that is easily exploited through the air.

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Free New England vs. Minnesota Pick:

The Patriots were always the pick in this one. When the Peterson news first broke, the Patriots were three-point favorites. After oddsmakers took the line off the board for a brief time, they reintroduced it at 3.5 points, and when Peterson was officially made inactive, it was bumped up to a full seven points.

The line movement and the actions of the oddsmakers would indicate that the sharps are on the Vikings, and while that may be so, the Patriots are just so much better than the Vikings that it’s impossible to consider any other play.

The Patriots are 32-13-1 ATS in their last 46 games following a loss.

The under is 12-2 in the Vikings’ last 14 Week 2 games, and it is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these teams.

Free 4* Week 2 Pick: Patriots -7, Under 48

Check out our Updated NFL Week 2 Odds.

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