Two years since the “Minneapolis Miracle,” the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints meet again in the playoffs. But this time, the Saints will be at home and the Vikings have a different quarterback in Kirk Cousins, who will be under tremendous pressure to deliver yet again.
The Vikings have made the playoffs, but are limping into their wild-card matchup against New Orleans, as they are on the heels of a two-game losing skid; they lost to the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively. Both those losses were at home, so maybe a game away from Minneapolis could be part of the cure to their late-season malaise. The loss to the Bears, however, was inconsequential to the Vikings’ playoff aspirations, so Minnesota opted to rest some of their starters, including Kirk Cousins, who let Sean Mannion start under center. Also among those who didn’t play in the Chicago game was running back Dalvin Cook, who has not played in the last two games because of a shoulder injury. However, Cook is reportedly expected to play in the wild card, which is good news for the Vikings, who sixth in the NFL with 133.3 rushing yards per game. But it’s the play of Cousins, which will be under the spotlight more. Cousins has yet to win a playoff game nor appear in one as a Viking.
The Vikings are 3-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last four games.
Betting on the New Orleans Saints (13-3)
The Saints finished the regular season with a 13-3 straight-up record, but that was not good enough to give them a bye in the playoffs. At least, they will be playing at home when they meet Minnesota this coming Sunday. In their last 10 games at home, the Saints have gone 7-3 SU and 4-6 ATS, dating back to January of 2019. The Saints’ success in the regular season is mostly because of their high-powered offense that finished third in the NFL regular season with 28.6 points per game and ninth in total offense with 373.9 total yards per game. Unlike Cousins, Drew Brees has proven himself repeatedly in the playoffs. On the season, Brees, the all-time leader in passing touchdowns, has 2,979 passing yards and 27 touchdowns against only four interceptions. He is third overall with a 71.8 quarterback rating. Brees, running back Alvin Kamara, and wide receiver Michael Thomas form arguably the NFL’s best offensive trio, each can be unstoppable when they get on their groove. The Saints can also win games with their defense. They are third overall with 51.0 sacks.
The Saints are 3-0 straight up (SU) in their last three home games against Minnesota.
