The Minnesota Vikings (10-6) meet the New Orleans Saints (13-3) in the playoffs for the first time since the Minneapolis Miracle game in January 2018. This time, however, the Saints will have a distinct home-field advantage when the game kicks off at the Merecedes-Benz Superdome at 1:05 p.m. Sunday. We analyze the Vikings-Saints betting odds and lines, with NFL betting picks, tips and best bets.
Vikings at Saints: Wild Card Round preview, betting trends and notes
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- The Saints have gone 10-2 against the moneyline in their last 12 home games against opponents with winning records.
- Minnesota played to the Over in each of its last five road games and six of its last eight games overall.
- New Orleans hit the Over in five of its last seven games.
- Both teams have winning records against the spread this season – New Orleans is 11-5 ATS (the best record in the league), while Minnesota is 9-7.
- The Saints won their last three games by an average of 23 points.
- Minnesota is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games played at the Superdome.
- In his last five games against Minnesota, Saints QB Drew Brees has completed 129 of 175 passes (74%) for 1,410 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.
- Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has thrown for 1,005 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception in three career games against the Saints – including 359 yards and two TDs in his only game as a Viking.
Vikings at Saints: Key injuries
Vikings CB Mackensie Alexander (knee), CB Mike Hughes (neck) and LB Eric Kendricks (quadriceps) are headed toward questionable statuses. RBs Dalvin Cook (shoulder) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) will play.
Saints CB Eli Apple (ankle) and FB Zach Line (knee) didn’t practice Thursday.
Vikings at Saints: Odds, betting lines and prediction
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 9:20 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Saints 34, Vikings 20
Moneyline (?)
Because the teams appear to be headed in different directions, this is by far the worst moneyline bet of the Wild Card Round games. The Saints are a whopping -400. That is simply too big of a number to support given Minnesota likely would have been 11-5 if not for laying down in Week 17.
The only bet to make here is Minnesota (+310) because the price is too steep to bet the Saints, but we’ll PASS and look to the spread.
Against the Spread (?)
The Saints opened as 6.5-point favorites at a lot of sports books, but the line quickly jumped over 7 and currently sits at 7.5 points (Saints: -115, Vikings: -106). The NFL has waited for Cousins to have a signature game and, despite considerable personal success against the Saints, he has the stigma of not coming up big when needed. Brees is just the opposite. Take the SAINTS (-7.5, -115).
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Saints to win by at least 8 points returns a profit of $8.70.
Over/Under (?)
Just as the point spread for this game is the highest of any Wild Card game, so is the projected total of 49.5 points (Over: -115, Under: -106). That’s a big number, but this has the potential to be a risk-taking, big-play producing game like their last playoff meeting two years ago. Scores get big in the Big Easy and this one likely will follow suit. Take the OVER 49.5 (-115).
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