The Minnesota Vikings will head to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers in a divisional battle between two teams looking that are in dire need of a big win this weekend. We're here to share our NFL odds series, make a Vikings-Packers prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
Minnesota Vikings (3-4) defied the odds and defeated the conference-leading San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. The Vikings' defense came up big stifling the high-powering 49ers offense holding them to just 325 yards of offense and 17 points. Cousins played arguably his best game of the season against a top-5 defense and now hopes to continue to roll as they head out on the road to take on divisional foe the Green Bay Packers in a pivotal divisional matchup.
Green Bay Packers (2-4) started out the season with a ton of excitement as Jordan Love looked like the predecessor that everyone hoped and dreamed he would and then came to the growing pains. He has been bottled up in recent weeks and it doesn't get any easier when he takes on a Vikings defense that blitzes more than any other team in the league. It's up to the Packers to give himself upfront to take advantage of the leaky secondary to get back on track this weekend to stop the losing skid.
Here are the Vikings-Packer NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Vikings-Packers Odds
Minnesota Vikings: -1.5 (-115)
Green Bay Packers: +1.5 (-105)
Over: 41.5 (-115)
Under: 41.5 (-105)
How to Watch Vikings vs. Packers Week 8
Time: 1:00 PM ET/ 10:00 AM PT
TV: FOX
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial), NFL Sunday Ticket if out-of-market
Why The Vikings Could Cover The Spread
The Minnesota Vikings are coming off of a huge win against the San Francisco 49ers in primetime. We all know the talk about how bad Kirk Cousins plays in primetime, well he showed off this time around. Cousins threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns with a 78% completion percentage against one of the top defenses in the league. These numbers came without one of the premier wide receivers in all of football Justin Jefferson and a nonexistent run game.
The Vikings defense also has come alive over their last two games. While they only recorded one sack against the 49ers, the pass rush was the main culprit behind Brock Purdy throwing two costly interceptions. They now get to go up against Jordan Love who has also had his fair share of trouble against the blitz this season as he is just 29th among qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage against the blitz.
This doesn't bode well as the Vikings rush the passer more than any other team this season and to put that into perspective, the Vikings have blitzed 50 more times than any other team in the league. If the Vikings can build off their big win last week they can get on a roll as they look toward the playoff race.
Why The Packers Could Cover The Spread
Jordan Love has been consistently bad over his last three games passing for 608 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions which has resulted in three straight losses. He just seems to be in a bit of a funk at the moment and a home matchup against the Vikings could be what he needs to get back on track.
As noted above Love doesn't do well against the pass rush but the Packers offensive line does a great job at giving him time in the pocket. The Vikings are a defense that is very vulnerable through the air as long as the opposing quarterback has time in the pocket or gets the ball out of their hands quickly.
With how well the Packers' receivers get out of their break like Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, they can pick apart this Vikings secondary. If the Packers' defense can keep this game close like they have in their previous two then Love and company have a chance to get back on track this Sunday.
Final Vikings-Packers Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a great divisional game between these two NFC North rivals. The Vikings are coming in with a ton of momentum winning their last two games and beating one of the favorites to win the Superbowl this year. Meanwhile, the Packers are looking to stop the bleeding and attempt to not lose four in a row.
This game should be relatively high-scoring which is contrary to what these two teams have been doing in recent games. With that said, it should be the Vikings who will be more accustomed to winning a shootout in this game having more playmakers on both sides of the ball and who are just better at playing up-tempo. As long as Cousins and company can play mistake-free football for once they should keep it going with their third win in a row covering the 1.5-point spread.
Final Vikings-Packers Prediction & Pick: Minnesota Vikings -1.5 (-115)
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