The Minnesota Vikings entered the season as the reigning NFC North champions. But even though they were the reigning champs, the online sportsbook odds still thought that the Packers would win the North, not Minnesota. But as the season began, the Vikings were quick to surpass the Packers and soon everyone was picking Minnesota for their bet on NFL money lines. Through the first half of the season, the Vikings were an unstoppable force. The defense was foreboding, and the offense was just good enough to guarantee a Minnesota win.
The Vikings began the season by winning 5 straight games. An impressive feat that became unfathomable when one began to consider the fact that the Vikings starting quarterback, Sam Bradford, was flown in 8 days before the start of the season. But heading into Week 10, the Vikings have lost three straight games. One was to the Philadelphia Eagles – Bradford’s former team, but the other two were to the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. Losing two straight games to divisional opponents is one way to find yourselves out of the playoff conversation, but the Vikings started the season so strong that they still have the lead in the NFC North despite losing three consecutive games.
But even so, dubiety has begun to sneak into the minds of Minnesota’s players and unless they turn this ship around, the rest of the season will be a downward spiral to a playoff-less finish. With three straight losses under their belt, what kind of odds are online sportsbooks giving the Vikings in their next contest?
NFL Odds – Week 10 – Sunday, November 13th
Minnesota Vikings +3 (-110) 41 ½ (-115)
Washington Redskins -3 (-110) 41 ½ (-105)
Interestingly enough, online sportsbooks have decided that three straight losses are far too much and are actually pegging the Vikings as underdogs in their next contest. Of course, some credit belongs to Washington, but it is still interesting to see the odds flip the tables on Minnesota.
The Redskins will be coming into this contest with a 4-3-1 record after tying with the Bengals back in Week 8. Washington currently sits 3rd in the NFC East and accounting for how formidable the Cowboys have been this season, it’s very unlikely that they’ll win the East this season. The Redskins will be coming into this game with the 3rd best passing offense, 14th best rushing offense, and the 4th best total offense. The majority of the Vikings losses have came in games in which they didn’t have the lead early in the game. If the Redskins can put points on the board early in the game and put pressure on this stuttering Minnesota offense, the Redskins might just hand the Vikings their 4th consecutive loss.