“You like that?!” If you are a Minnesota Vikings fan, you definitely liked what you saw over the weekend, as the team took down one of the favorites to win Super Bowl 54, the New Orleans Saints. Now, the Vikings will take on another giant in the form of the well-rested San Francisco 49ers. Will the Vikings pull off another upset? Or will the Niners be too much to handle for Minnesota?
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Betting Preview for the Minnesota Vikings vs San Francisco 49ers NFL NFC Divisional Round Playoff Game on January 11, 2020
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
When: Saturday, January 11, 2020, 4:35 PM ET
Line: Minnesota Vikings (+6.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers (-6.5) – view all 2019 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: NBC
Betting on the Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
Kirk Cousins finally got the playoff win that has long avoided him in his career. Cousins led the Vikings to a 26-20 overtime win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday over the New Orleans Saints to set up a date with the 49ers in Santa Clara. Cousins completed 19 of 31 passes for 242 passing yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions while running back Dalvin Cook rushed for 94 yards and a couple of touchdowns on 28 carries. Wide receiver Adam Thielen clearly brought his A-game, finishing the contest with 129 receiving yards on seven catches. Perhaps even more impressive was the Vikings’ defense that forced Saints quarterback Drew Brees to commit two crucial turnovers and slowed down running back Alvin Kamara. That kind of defense will be needed more by Minnesota than its offense in the matchup against San Francisco. Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr, Xavier Rhodes, and Everson Griffen all stepped up in the Saints game, and they will have to sustain that form going into the divisional round.
The Vikings are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games.
Betting on the San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
One could imagine the 49ers thinking they got a break by seeing the Vikings stun New Orleans. The Saints were one of the few teams to give San Francisco a run for its money in the regular season, and now, instead of Brees and company, the Niners will be facing Minnesota, which has a less explosive — but still capable – offense. The Niners have arguably the best defense in the NFL. They finished the regular season eighth overall with 19.4 points allowed per game and second with just 281.8 total yards surrendered per contest. Richard Sherman is rejuvenating his career in San Francisco, finishing the regular season with a team-leading three interceptions. Then there’s the pair of Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa, who combined for 19 total sacks. Cousins has scored a major win last Sunday, but he’s going to have to come up with a better performance against the Niners’ unforgiving defense, and that could be something too much to ask for from the Vikings’ quarterback.
San Francisco, which was fourth in the regular season with a 45 percent conversion rate on third-downs, are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
The 49ers win, 27-21.
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