Betting Picks

Packers vs Vikings Odds: SNF NFL Week 12 Betting Preview and Pick

For the second straight Sunday night, it’s an all-NFC North matchup this week as the Green Bay Packers visit the Minnesota Vikings. Let’s take a closer look at the Packers vs Vikings odds.

The Packers haven’t missed the playoffs in back-to-back years since 2005-06 in the tail end of Brett Favre’s career in Green Bay. At 4-5-1, the Pack are in major jeopardy of missing out on extra football for a second straight season. If so, that likely would cost head coach Mike McCarthy his job. A loss here really would be crushing.

Sometimes, a tie can be a benefit or a hindrance when it comes to the final standings. Obviously, it’s better than a loss, but not as good as a win. The Packers and Vikings tied 29-29 at Lambeau in Week 2. Green Bay should have won in regulation. Minnesota should have won twice in overtime.

The Packers vs Vikings odds has Minnesota as a 3-point favorite and our against the spread pick. The total is 48.

Why Minnesota will cover the Packers vs Vikings odds

The Vikings entered last Sunday night’s game in Chicago having won four of five and off their bye week. However, they were largely dominated in a 25-20 loss that dropped Minnesota 1.5 games behind the Bears for first in the NFC North. The Vikings did absolutely nothing offensively in the first half, but finished with 268 yards, most of those coming when Chicago had the game in hand. Minnesota rushed for just 22 yards on 14 carries and turned it over three times; one Kirk Cousins interception was returned for a touchdown.

Cousins is a good quarterback, but is now just 4-12 in his prime-time NFL career (0-3 in 2018) dating to his Redskins’ days. He got little help from his offensive line against Chicago as Cousins was pressured on 16 of his dropbacks.

Green Bay betting notes for Sunday

If the Packers could play every game at Lambeau Field, they might make the Super Bowl as they are unbeaten there (including that tie). Alas, the NFL doesn’t schedule that way. Green Bay fell to 0-5 on the road (1-3-1 ATS) in losing 27-24 in Seattle last Thursday – blowing a 14-3 first-quarter lead.

Aaron Rodgers had nice numbers in throwing for 332 yards and two scores, but he had a terrible throw on third-and-2 at the Green Bay 33 with 4:23 left after the Seahawks had just taken the 27-24 lead. The Packers had to punt after that incompletion and never got the ball back. Third down was a problem all night as Green Bay was 3-for-11 on conversions and Rodgers was just 2-for-6 passing on the down and sacked four times (he went down five times overall).

Minnesota vs. Green Bay line movement

The NFL odds opened with the Vikings as 4.5-point favorites, while the total hasn’t budged.

Minnesota vs. Green Bay matchup trends

• The Vikings have won 14 of their past 18 games as a favorite.
• Green Bay is 1-4 ATS in its past five games against the NFC North.
• The home team has covered four of the past five meetings.