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Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints Football Picks & Predictions

Written October 5, 2008 by Brad Marchetti

An exciting Monday Night Football matchup between the Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints will kickoff at 8:15 ET. The Minnesota Vikings were highly touted heading into this season but they have fallen flat on their faces. The New Orleans Saints made some key moves in the off-season to shore up their defense that have yet to pay dividends. Before this season began this game could have been considered a future NFC championship game. With the Vikings disappointing start however, this game is a desperation game for a Minnesota team trying to avoid a 1-4 start. The NFL betting odds for the Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints game is N.O -3 points.

The Minnesota Vikings defense is a physical unit that beats up on their opponents with a stifling run defense. This week the Vikings (1-3 ATS) will face an explosive New Orleans (3-1 ATS) offense led by QB Drew Brees that is averaging 27.8 points per game. Brees has been shorthanded at the wideout position with injuries to TE Jeremy Shockey, Marques Colston and David Patten. Stepping up to the plate has been WR Robert Meachem (4.30 40-speed) who can stretch the field and also go up for jump balls with his impressive vertical leap. Also making an impact at wideout has been RB\WR Reggie Bush (31 rec. 257 yds. 2 TD’s). Brees (106.9 passer rating) has been terrific at finding the open man quickly and efficiently this season. In this game Brees will be met by a ferocious Vikings D-line that is arguably the best in the NFL. The return of starting RB Deuce McAllister( 22 carries 83 yards 3.8 YPC) should help Brees keep the Vikings from loading up against the pass. The Saints O-line excels at pass-protection but, New Orleans is not great a run blocking which could pose a problem against the Vikings #2 ranked rush defense.

Vikings all-world RB Adrian Peterson will be on the Monday night stage for the world to see his supernatural skills when he faces the Saints. Against the Peterson the Saints will need their front four to create pressure on their own with so many defenders focusing on Peterson. The saints tackling this season has been shoddy with a defense that is ranked 27th in the NFL in yards allowed. Minnesota QB Gus Frerotte (70.7 passer rating) is a better decision maker than former starter Tavaris Jackson who hurt the offense. Frerotte at this stage of his career, however is a journeyman player that would be a backup on almost any other team. The Saints pass-defense has been abysmal this season allowing 249.2 yards passing per game (29th in the NFL). Peterson can’t do it all by himself and he will need Frerotte and a weak group of Minnesota wideouts to step up. The Saints secondary has some serious holes. New Orleans has gotten a good push up front with 10.0 sacks on defense but, the secondary has blown too many coverage’s. In this game the Saints pass-rush will be met by a big and physical Minnesota O-line that is a top-5 NFL unit. The NFL betting odds OVER\UNDER for the Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints game is at 46.5 points. The OVER is 8-0-1 in the saints last 9 games on field turf.

This game could come down to which one of these teams can get their respective offensive studs going. Drew Brees has played as well as any QB in the NFL. Adrian Peterson has ran as well as any RB in the NFL. Can Minnesota get back on track? How long can Drew Brees continue to dominate with his key personnel missing? The NFL betting odds MONEYLINE for the Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints is New Orleans -150.

Compare the updated NFL betting odds on this game and others for next week here at our site. If you want a little help on this one, then take a look at the NFL expert picks offered by our handicappers. They will help you win more money with your NFL betting this year.

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