NFL Week 16: Vikings vs. Saints odds, preview, and pick (Dec. 25)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees raises his arms to show a touchdown. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire)
December 22nd, 2020
NFL fans and bettors will be treated to a Christmas Day tilt (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX) between the Minnesota Vikings (6-8) and New Orleans Saints (10-4) this Friday from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Vikings’ playoff chances are on life support heading into this one, while the Saints are vying for top seed honors in the NFC. But are the Saints worth a wager against the spread? Here’s our betting preview.
Saints are slumping, but don’t sound the alarm yet
New Orleans enters this game off consecutive losses, but each one was by just a field goal.
Rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts was the catalyst for the Philadelphia Eagles’ upset of the Saints in Week 14, though two missed field goals by New Orleans’ Wil Lutz also played a role in that defeat.
Losing to the defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 (but covering the spread) was nothing to be ashamed about.
The Chiefs went 8-0 on the road this season.
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) December 21, 2020
They beat the Bucs, Saints, Bills, Ravens and Dolphins, all playoff teams at the moment.
Not bad.
Vikings haven’t looked like a playoff team of late
Minnesota appeared to have a playoff push going when they won five of six games to get to 6-6 overall, but two straight losses have pushed their postseason chances to the brink.
T-E stunt from the Bucs and Shaq Barrett gets the sack on Cousins. Took the Vikings out of field goal range with this one. pic.twitter.com/gzmVgcaAUa
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) December 14, 2020
Halfback Dalvin Cook has been the driving force for the Vikings’ offense in 2020, accumulating the second-most rushing yards in the NFL (1,484). However, he’ll face a Saints rush defense that’s allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game this season (95.6).
Vikings and Saints statistics and rankings
| Team | Passing Yards | Rushing Yards | Passing Yards Allowed | Rushing Yards Allowed |
|---|
Minnesota Vikings | 239.4, 18th | 147.7, 4th | 252.4, 24th | 125.6, 24th |
New Orleans Saints | 232.0, 21st | 131.8, 7th | 210.9, 5th | 95.6, 4th |
Brees should be better with rust shaken off
Drew Brees did not look like his old self in his first game back from injury last week. He completed just 44.1% of his throws for only 234 yards, though he did have three passing touchdowns compared to just one interception.
Drew Brees' pregame warmup is...interesting pic.twitter.com/VYseDWNjkS
— Pick Six Podcast (@picksixpod) December 20, 2020
Fortunately for Brees, Minnesota brings their 24th-rated pass stoppers (252.4 yards allowed per game) into this contest. Even without wide-out Michael Thomas, Brees should have a fine day through the air.
Trends say take New Orleans
It’s tough to back the Vikings with confidence in this spot, as they’ve failed to cover in five straight contests.
Meanwhile, the Saints are 9-2 against the spread in their last 11 games against teams with losing records. They’ve also covered in five of their last seven overall, and in four of their last five as the betting favorite.
Score prediction: Saints 27, Vikings 16
NFL pick: Saints
Wager on all NFL Week 16 action on BetAmerica!
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