The NFL playoffs carry on with another NFC Wild Card clash on Sunday, January 15, and here you can take a look at the best Giants vs. Vikings betting pick and odds.
Minnesota is hoping to get the fourth win in five games when they host New York at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings are 3-point favorites on BetRivers NY Sportsbook, while the total is set at 48 points. These conference rivals have met a few weeks ago when the Vikings won 27-24 in Minneapolis.
Giants lost to Philadelphia despite a late surge
The New York Giants (9-7-1, 13-4-0 ATS) finished the regular season with a 22-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. The Giants were 19-0 down late in the third quarter but managed to cut the deficit to six points, which still wasn’t enough to avoid a defeat. New York already secured a playoff place before this game, so head coach Brian Daboll decided to rest his starters and give the opportunity to some fringe players.
Davis Webb completed 23 of 40 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown. He also scored a rushing touchdown, while Gary Brightwell had a game-high 60 yards on 11 carries. Kenny Golladay caught the lone TD pass from Webb and Lawrence Cager led the Giants in receiving yards with 69 on eight receptions. Defensively, Rodarius Williams and Jarrad Davis contributed ten tackles apiece.
DT Nick Williams (biceps), WR Sterling Shepard (ACL), G Shane Lemieux (toe), CB Aaron Robinson (knee), and WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) are out indefinitely. DE Leonard Williams (neck), CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee), and LB Azeez Ojulari (ankle) are questionable to face Minnesota on Sunday.
Vikings bounced back with a win in Chicago
The Minnesota Vikings (13-4-0, 7-9-1 ATS) responded to a blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers with a 29-13 road victory over the Chicago Bears. It was Minnesota’s third win in four games and a deserved one as the Vikings dominated total yards (482-259), first downs (28-13), and possession (36:36-23:24). The offense did commit a couple of turnovers but the defense forced two on the other end.
Kirk Cousins completed 17 of 20 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown. His deputy, Nick Mullens, completed 11 of 13 passes for an interception. Alexander Mattison was the best running back in the game as he finished with 54 yards and two touchdowns on ten carries. K.J. Osborn had a strong showing as he led all the receivers with 117 yards on five catches. Jalen Nailor and C.J. Ham combined for 109 yards on eight receptions, while Adam Thielen scored the only receiving TD for Minnesota in this one. On defense, Kris Boyd led the team with five tackles.
LB Za’Darius Smith (personal), C Garrett Bradbury (back), and CB Cameron Dantzler (ankle) are questionable to feature on Sunday against the Giants.
Trends:
New York:
- 2-8 SU in the last ten games against Minnesota
- 2-8 SU in the last ten games against the NFC North opponents
Minnesota:
- 4-1 ATS in the last five games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings Pick
The Giants are the best ATS team in the entire NFL, but on this occasion, I don’t think they’ll cover. They did rest their starters in Philadelphia, but the Vikings are a better team even though they have the third-worst defense in the league that allows 25.1 points per game.
Luckily for the hosts, the Giants prefer running over passing, and the Vikings are not that bad when it comes to run defense as they allow 123.1 yards per contest to the opposing runners. Cousins has more offensive weapons to work with and we know how strong the Vikings are in close games.
Pick: Take the Vikings at -2.5 (-133)
The Total
I mentioned Minnesota’s offensive weapons and I meant Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, before others. The Vikings are focusing on their pass offense as they average 263.8 yards per game, but it won’t be easy against a solid Giants’ secondary that surrenders 214.0 yards per game.
Both offenses could struggle, and I don’t expect to see the high-scoring game that we saw a few weeks ago when the rivals combined for 51 points. Under is 9-3 in the Giants’ last 12 playoff games, while Under is 9-3-1 in the Vikings’ previous 13 playoff games.
Pick: Go Under 50.5 points (-133)
