Tag: NFL betting odds lines picks best bets team win totals over-under exact wins

How many games will the Minnesota Vikings win in 2020?

Assessing the Minnesota Vikings’ projected win total for the 2020 NFL season, with best bets for their Over/Under.

How many games will the Minnesota Vikings win in the 2020 NFL season? We look at BetMGM‘s projected win total and the Over/Under odds, while looking back at the 2019 season and key offseason roster changes.

Minnesota Vikings’ 2019 season

  • Record: 10-6 (2nd in NFC North)
  • Against the Spread (ATS): 9-7
  • Over/Under: 9-7

Their book results heavily mirrored their performance last year, thanks in big part to RB Dalvin Cook having his long-awaited, full-season breakout.

The Vikings ranked in the middle of the pack in yards gained (353.5, 16th) and allowed (341.6, 14th) but made up for it by scoring often (25.4 points per game, 8th) and limiting points allowed (18.9, 6th).

QB Kirk Cousins again was solid with a 69.1% completion rate, but wide receiver Adam Thielen‘s health again became an issue as repeated hamstring injuries marred his season, meaning the Vikings went without a top possession wideout and suffered in the aerial game.

Minnesota Vikings’ 2020 offseason changes

Will Cook hold out?

The Vikings traded big-play receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills and replaced him by drafting possession-minded WR Justin Jefferson.

Gary Kubiak replaces Kevin Stefanski as offensive coordinator but should closely resemble Stefanski’s personnel and style that elevated Cook. They should continue using TEs Kyle Rudolph and breakout candidate Irv Smith Jr. frequently.

Minnesota may struggle to replace DT Linval Joseph. They also cleaned house in the cornerback room, ditching Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander, but they could be replaced in-house by rookie Jeff Gladney, standby Mike Hughes and others.

The major question that hangs over head coach Mike Zimmer, however, is whether Cook will hold out as he seeks a new contract. He has reported to camp but hasn’t yet committed to playing. Alexander Mattison doesn’t have Cook’s ceiling but would be a solid backup plan to carry the load if needed.

Place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM, or play in their online casino. Bet now!

Minnesota Vikings’ 2020 schedule

Week 1: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 2: at Indianapolis Colts

Week 3: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 4: at Houston Texans

Week 5: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 6: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 7: BYE

Week 8: at Green Bay Packers

Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions

Week 10: at Chicago Bears

Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 12: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 13: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 14: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 15: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 16: at New Orleans Saints

Week 17: at Detroit Lions

Minnesota Vikings 2020 win total: Best bet

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds updated Friday, Aug. 7, at 1 p.m. ET.

Projected win total: 8.5 … OVER: -159 / UNDER: +130

  • Likely wins: 8 — Packers (home), Texans, Falcons, Lions x2, Bears (home), Panthers, Jaguars
  • Likely losses: 6 — Colts, Seahawks, Cowboys, Saints, Titans, Buccaneers
  • Borderline: 2 — Packers (away), Bears (away)

I’m willing to lean toward a loss in the games against the Buccaneers and Titans, and those borderline NFC North games are often messy.

The OVER 8.5 (-159) is the logical bet but doesn’t offer much profitability. I’d rather PASS and focus on the Exact Wins: Best Bet later.

Exact Season Wins: Bands

  • 0-4 wins: +4000
  • 5-8 wins: +125
  • 9-12 wins: -154
  • 13-16 wins: +2000

Again, not much profitability here; BetMGM has sniffed out Minnesota’s outlook. Focus on the next section.

Exact Wins: Best Bet

Exactly 9 wins (+275)
Exactly 10 wins (+325)
Exactly 11 wins (+525)

I lean toward 10 but could easily change that to 11 if I know Cook will play and preseason developments hurt the outlook of one or more of their opponents.

See the full breakdown of BetMGM’s Vikings season-special bets.

Want action on NFL futures betting? Sign up and place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook. 

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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How many games will the Los Angeles Chargers win in 2020?

Assessing the Los Angeles Chargers’ projected win total for the 2020 NFL season, with best bets for their Over/Under.

How many games will the Los Angeles Chargers win in the 2020 NFL season? We look at BetMGM‘s projected win total and the Over/Under odds, while looking back at the 2019 season and key offseason roster changes.

Los Angeles Chargers’ 2019 season

  • Record: 5-11 (4th in AFC West)
  • Against the Spread (ATS): 4-9-3
  • Over/Under: 7-9

To be fair, the Chargers tied a league record by losing nine games by seven points or fewer, and they ranked in the top 10 in both yards gained and yards allowed.

Their two biggest stories that led to this poor finish: (1) Quarterback Philip Rivers rarely felt comfortable behind the Chargers’ maligned offensive line, and (2) franchise safety Derwin James (foot) missed the first 12 games.

Los Angeles Chargers’ 2020 offseason changes

Rivers bolted to the Colts this offseason. L.A. will wait out the present with Tyrod Taylor while planning for a future with first-round pick Justin Herbert.

The Chargers likely will want more downfield shots in its new offensive scheme, directed by OC Shane Steichen. If he captures the job under center at some point this season, Herbert would have a better arm-strength profile to accomplish this goal than Taylor.

The club also let Melvin Gordon walk and will divide most of the work between the tackles with solid backup Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley.

The offensive line remains one of the league’s worst, which could be the team’s major hindrance this year. If they can at least stay afloat to give Taylor or Herbert protection, however, the Chargers still have plenty of tantalizing skill players including 2019 breakout back Austin Ekeler; wideouts Keenan Allen and Mike Williams; and tight end Hunter Henry.

The real strength could be their defense, led by James; elite pass-rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram; and lockdown cornerback Casey Hayward.

Place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM, or play in their online casino. Bet now!

Los Angeles Chargers’ 2020 schedule

Week 1: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 2: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 3: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 4: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 5: at New Orleans Saints

Week 6: vs. New York Jets

Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

Week 8: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 9: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Week 10: BYE

Week 11: at Denver Broncos

Week 12: at Buffalo Bills

Week 13: vs. New England Patriots

Week 14: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 15: at Las Vegas Raiders

Week 16: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 17: at Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers 2020 win total: Best bet

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds updated Saturday, Aug. 8, at 8:45 a.m. ET.

Projected wins: 7.5 … OVER: -134 / UNDER: +110

  • Likely wins: 5 — Bengals, Panthers, Jets, Raiders, Jaguars
  • Likely losses: 8 — Chiefs x2, Buccaneers, Saints, Raiders, Broncos (away), Bills, Patriots
  • Borderline: 3 — Falcons, Dolphins, Broncos (home)

I expect the Broncos and Raiders to improve this year, meaning I can’t count on better than a split from the clearly rebuilding Bolts.

Weeks 6-9 could be a nice stretch to steal four straight victories if everything comes together, and maybe their much-deprecated homefield situation won’t matter as much without fans in LA’s new SoFi Stadium.

Still, the Broncos and Raiders are moving upward, while the Chargers may struggle to find an offensive identity, despite their ample talent.

However, I don’t predict them finishing better than .500, so I’d shade on the low end and BET the Under 7.5 (+110).

Exact Season Wins: Bands

  • 0-4 wins: +1200
  • 5-8 wins: -209
  • 9-12 wins: +185
  • 13-16 wins: +5000

The 5-8 bracket is obviously a less rewarding trap than the 0-4 and 9-12, but I don’t see the Chargers falling into either. PASS.

Exact Wins: Best Bet

Exactly 7 wins (+290)

I could guide this down to Exactly 6 wins (+400) for a bigger return, but they’ll probably sneak away with two of those three borderline games.

See the full breakdown of BetMGM’s Chargers season-special bets.

Want action on NFL futures betting? Sign up and place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook. 

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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How many games will the Indianapolis Colts win in 2020?

Assessing the Indianapolis Colts’ projected win total for the 2020 NFL season, with best bets for their Over/Under.

How many games will the Indianapolis Colts win in the 2020 NFL season? We look at BetMGM‘s projected win total and the Over/Under odds, while looking back at the 2019 season and key offseason roster changes.

Indianapolis Colts’ 2019 season

  • Record: 7-9
  • Against the Spread (ATS): 7-7-2
  • Over/Under: 9-7

QB Andrew Luck‘s abrupt retirement late in the preseason threw Indy’s offense – and, in turn, its season – into near disarray. The quarterback position was a mess, with Jacoby Brissett stepping in under center.

Indy ranked 25th in total yards per game (327.4), 16th in points scored per game (22.6), 16th in total yards allowed per game (346.8), and 18th in points allowed per game (23.3).

The middling performance was just enough, however, for the Colts to outdo their straight-up record at the sportsbooks.

Indianapolis Colts’ 2020 offseason changes

One big one is getting a new quarterback: Philip Rivers.

Excitement over a QB who’ll turn 39 years old in December may be misguided, but the efficient slinger reunites with some of his old San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers co-horts: head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, who will extract the best version of Rivers out of his slightly older body with a quck-hitting aerial system.

The Colts also drafted a slew of players with the potential to contribute immediately on offense. Two, in particular, could push them over the top: RB Jonathan Taylor and WR Michael Pittman Jr. Taylor will at least form a committee with Marlon Mack and pass-catching specialist Nyheim Hines but could be the undisputed leader later in the season as he gets a handle on the playbook.

The 6-foot-4 Pittman gives Rivers a big red-zone weapon to complement the deep prowess of T.Y. Hilton. Rivers will have TEs Jack Doyle and Trey Burton to own the middle of the field, and second-year wideout Parris Campbell could take a huge step forward.

The biggest factor working in the Colts’ favor is their offensive line, arguably among the three best in the NFL. This stout quintet, spearheaded by All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson and standout left tackle Anthony Castonzo, should protect the aging Rivers and allow the offense to develop on a consistent basis.

Don’t forget the underrated defense, which added game-breaking DT DeForest Buckner; still has ace pass-rusher Justin Houston; and is led by all-world LB Darius Leonard.

Indianapolis boasts an intriguing mix of new arrivals and great-to-elite continuity that will help their cause in this unusual 2020 NFL season.

Place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM, or play in their online casino. Bet now!

Indianapolis Colts’ 2020 schedule

Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 3: vs. New York Jets

Week 4: at Chicago Bears

Week 5: at Cleveland Browns

Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 7: BYE

Week 8: at Detroit Lions

Week 9: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week 10: at Tennessee Titans

Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 13: at Houston Texans

Week 14: at Las Vegas Raiders

Week 15: vs. Houston Texans

Week 16: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts 2020 win total: Best bet

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds updated Friday, Aug. 7, at 8 a.m. ET.

Projected wins: 8.5 … OVER: -176 / UNDER: +145

  • Likely wins: 8 – Jaguars x2, Jets, Bears, Bengals, Lions, Raiders, Texans (home)
  • Likely losses: 3 – Ravens, Titans (away), Steelers
  • Borderline: 5 – Vikings, Browns, Packers, Texans (away), Titans (home)

The 8.5 did nail the region of deliberation, but the market already sees the Colts as a possible contender, or at least a relative lock to reach a 14-team playoff. The Colts are one of the midrange betting teams most strongly built to surpass expectations and claw its way into elite status.

The fact they host the Vikings and Packers – two teams notoriously dependent on homefield advantage – tells me to tip the scales for at least one of those in Indy’s favor.

This knocks my expectation up to 10 wins, but with how deep this team is, I could see them eclipsing that.

So what’s the bet?  The 8.5 O/U is a bit low by my estimate, but BetMGM has balanced it with a rather uninviting -176 line. I would, of course, BET OVER 8.5 (-176), but I’d look for pivots with more profit potential.

(New to sports betting? A winning $10 wager on Colts OVER 8.5 wins (-176) would yield a $5.68 profit.)

Exact Season Wins: Bands

  • 0-4 wins: +3000
  • 5-8 wins: +115
  • 9-12 wins: -139
  • 13-16 wins: +2200

I would BET 9-12 wins (-139) but wouldn’t mind stretching with a “sleeper budget” BET 13-16 wins (+2200). The Colts are constructed to be a sneaky contender for the AFC Championship.

Exact Wins: Best Bet

The Best Bet is EXACTLY 9 wins (+275), but I’ll also throw down some units for a greater return on EXACTLY 10 WINS (+325).

See the full breakdown of BetMGM’s Colts season-special bets.

Want action on NFL futures betting? Sign up and place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook. 

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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