Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers NFL Odds, Betting Preview 9/16/18

A major clash within the NFC North will take place this afternoon as the Minnesota Vikings rumble with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The Vikings are off a 24-16 home win over the Niners, while the Packers are off a 24-23 home win over Chicago. The Vikings took both meetings between these teams last year. This contest has a start time of 1:00 pm ET.

Lines: Green Bay -1 … Over/Under 46.5

A Look At The Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings had a solid start to their year as they come in off a 24-16 home win over the Niners. The Vikings are off a strong 13-3 season and will look to keep it rolling in this one. They won both meetings with the teams last year and outscored them 39-10 in the two games. The Packers were without Aaron Rodgers for both of those games and he is questionable for this game. The Vikings are led by their defense and they allowed just 327 yards of total offense to the Niners. San Fran did throw for 237 yards on them and that pass defense will be tested, especially if Rodgers plays. The big thing in the game was that the Vikings picked off three passes. They have one of the best secondaries in the league.  

The offense played well as they had 343 yards of total offense in the game, including 116 yards on the ground. They will be facing a defense that struggled against the Bears last week. The Vikings are a well-rounded team and whether Rodgers plays or not, they do have a shot at winning this game. The big reason is the edge they have on defense. If it shows up for this one then they can win.  

A Look At The Packers

The Green Bay Packers went just 7-9 last year, but are off to a 1-0 start this year. They missed Aaron Rodgers for much of the year, but he is back and led them to a 24-23 win over the Bears in their opener. They trailed the game late until Rodgers threw a 75 yards pass to Randall Cobb with just 2:13 left in the game. They held on from there. Rodgers had a strong outing as he threw for 286 yards with three TDs and no INTs in the game. Not bad for his first game back, but he is listed as questionable for this game. Rodgers practiced on Saturday, but it will still be a game-time decision. DeShone Kizer will get the start if he can’t go and that would give Minnesota a massive edge at QB.

Green Bay could use some help from a ground attack that had just 69 yards rushing. They need more balance than that against a very tough Minnesota defense. The pass defense was very solid for the Packers as they allowed the Bears to throw for just 155 yards in the game. The run defense was not so good as they allowed Chicago to rumble for 139 yards and could have trouble with a solid Minnesota ground attack. The Packers really need Rodgers to play in this one.   

Trends

The Vikings are:

25-11 ATS in their last 36 games following a straight up win.

43-19 ATS in their last 62 games overall

2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record

The Under is 18-4 in their last 22 games in Week 2

The Over is 5-2 in their last 7 road games

The Packers are:

35-17-1 ATS in their last 53 games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game

1-7 ATS vs. a team with a winning record

The Over is 9-3 in their last 12 vs. a team with a winning record.

The Under is 5-2 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record