While there was a bevy of exciting NFL betting action from Week 8, nothing on Sunday matched the show that Brett Favre gave us on his return to Lambeau Field. In a 38-26 win over the Packers, Favre and the Vikings showed all facets of their game: Favre threw four touchdown passes and no interceptions, RB Adrian Peterson ran for 97 yards and a touchdown, WR Percy Harvin had five catches for 84 yards and a score, DE Jared Allen had three sacks and LB Chad Greenway had 10 tackles. It was a great all-around performance that completed Minnesota’s sweep of Green Bay this season and solidified its stranglehold on NFC North supremacy.
From a betting perspective, the Vikings steamrolled on the road despite being three-point underdogs coming in. That moves Minnesota to 4-3 on the year against the spread, but the more notable trend might be the offensive output that has now seen the Vikings hit the over six times in the last eight contests. The Vikes and Pack combined for a whopping 64 points and – save for the 44 Minnesota and Pittsburgh put up last Sunday – the Packers have been a great over play all year long: 64 total points against Baltimore on October 18th, 48 total against the Rams on October 11th and 53 against the Packers when these teams first met on October 5th.
For Favre himself, the game put his seasonal numbers into the stratosphere. This formerly erratic, swashbuckling risk-taker has turned into a calm, ball-protecting dynamo with Minnesota. Favre how has 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions on the year; he hasn’t thrown more than one pick in any of his eight games this year and his fumble lost against Pittsburgh last week was his first of the season. If Favre can continue to protect the ball this effectively and the Vikings don’t suffer any more major injuries (star cornerback Antoine Winfield is out with a foot injury, and it’s a big reason why Aaron Rodgers racked up 287 passing yards and three TDs), they have to be considered a strong Super Bowl futures bet. The Vikings are now a mortal lock to capture the division and – along with the New Orleans Saints – are a good bet to secure one of the NFC’s two round-one byes. Sure, it’s a little early for sports betting enthusiasts to start talking playoffs and Super Bowl, but when you see a trend developing, sometimes you have to jump on it.
