Everyone knows that the Minnesota Vikings had a late-season collapse, which doesn’t bode well for the playoffs. The good news for them is that they had a bye week to clear their minds.
NFL betting fans know that the Vikings lost three of their last five games after a 10-1 start but they ended the year with a big home win over the New York Giants and they had a bye week to heal up some injuries. Now that they have their focus back, they should be able to top the Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings
Gambling Advisor blog Pick : Vikings -2.5
Last Week
The Vikings had an off week and gave a number of key players some time to rest while the Cowboys were busy.
The Cowboys had a big monkey on their back last week as they faced off with the Philadelphia Eagles. They hadn’t won a playoff game since 1996 and head coach Wade Phillips was basically coaching to keep his job. The Cowboys played extremely well and got a big, easy win.
Everything worked well for them as the Eagles turned it over regularly and overall, just collapsed. The story might be a little different this week as they head out on the road against a team that is rested and likely to be crisper.
This Week
The Cowboys Vikings odds have the Vikings as the home favorite and rightfully so. The Vikings were 8-0 at home this year and they played their best football there. Sure, many people point to the Vikings late season struggles but keep in mind that their losses against Arizona, Carolina and Chicago all came on the road. The Vikings are still perfect at home.
Dallas has been hot but this will be their toughest opponent in their recent stretch. Look for Adrian Peterson to get his wheels churning and for Brett Favre to look sharp after the bye.
For Dallas, their big win was last week and they are overly content with that. They celebrated like their first playoff win since 1996 was a Super Bowl win and their focus may not be as strong for this game as it was the last one. That could be a big difference.
Throw in a couple of Romo mistakes and the Vikings will win and cover.
NFL Picks: Vikings -2.5
