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Atlanta Falcons vs. Minnesota Vikings NFL Betting Odds & Spread

Written December 18, 2008 by Jason Lowry

Vikings Falcons Football

One of the bigger games this weekend in the NFL has the Atlanta Falcons heading on the road to take on the Minnesota Vikings. Last week the Vikings went into Arizona and beat up on the Cardinals 35-14 to keep their one game lead in the NFC North, while the Falcons stayed right in the thick of things with an impressive 13-10 win in overtime over the Buccaneers at home. With both teams needing a win this week, it should lead to a big time game. For those of you looking to do some NFL betting this weekend, the oddsmakers have the Vikings 3 point favorites over the Falcons at BetUS.com

The Falcons offense started off strong scoring 10 points in the first quarter of play, but that was all this unit could muster until overtime where Jason Elam hit a 34 yard field goal for the win. Matt Ryan looked more like a rookie, as he threw for 206 yards with no touchdown and two interceptions, but good thing for him running back Michael Turner had it going on the ground, as he ran for 152 yards and a score on 32 carries. Now the offense has to be a little concerned about their inability to put points on the board after the first quarter, but they were up a pretty good defense, but that will again be the case when they take on the Vikings this weekend.

The Falcons defense really responded when needed and even with the offenses struggles late, they made sure this team remained in the game. The defense did allow Brian Griese to throw for 269 yards and a score, but allowed the Bucs just 99 yards on the ground. Now the big problem for the Falcons this week is they are not only playing on the road, where they are 3-4 on the season. Bet Atlanta Falcons +3 at BetUS.com

The Minnesota Vikings just keep on rolling, and with their win last week they have now won 4 straight and 6 of their last 7, and could really have a bunch of momentum built up if they can keep it going right on into the playoffs. Last week the offense exploded for 28 first half points, as Tarvaris Jackson completed 11 of 17 passes for 163 yards and 4 big touchdowns. The Vikings also got a big time performance out of running back Adrian Peterson, who ran it 28 times for 165 yards. Backup Chester Taylor also had over a 100 yards of total offense, and was one of 4 players to catch a Jackson touchdown pass. This week you have to think the Vikings are going to give the Falcons a heavy dose of AP, and if Jackson can continue to play like he has over the last couple weeks, this offense is a lot better than the team that was on the field earlier this season.

The Vikings defense took a big hit last week when they lost one of their big defensive tackles, as Pat Williams was lost for the season, but the Vikings as a whole were all over the field, as they had 4 sacks in this one, including 2 from star defensive end Jason Allen. The Vikings shutdown what little rushing attack the Cardinals have, as they allowed just 43 rushing yards in this one. Now the Vikings defense will have to find a way to slow down Turner, and it will be interesting to see how much the loss of Pat Williams effects their run defense, and its not like they can forget about the passing of Ryan and company as well. Bet Minnesota Vikings -3 at BetUS.com

Get the best NFL picks and the latest NFL odds for all the games this weekend at Betfirms.

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