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Jeremy Perry
Vikings vs. Packers Point Spread: NFL Week 17 Odds, Prediction
The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers square off for the second time this season as the two sides also met during their season-openers. This time around, the stakes are a lot higher as the Vikings are jockeying for positioning in the postseason while the Packers are trying to snag one of the final playoff spots in the conference. Could we see the Vikings sweep their division rivals or will Green Bay get their revenge and make a playoff push?
Green Bay is a 3.5-point favourite to win on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Vikings are 1-5 ATS in their last six games played on the road against a team with a losing home record on the season. They are also 0-3-1 ATS in their past four games against teams from the NFC Conference. For the total, the over has hit in each of their last five games and five out of their last six against teams from the NFC North division.
On the other hand, the Packers are 17-7 ATS in their past 24 games played on grass but are just 1-4 ATS in their last five games played at home against a team with a winning road record on the season. As for their total, the over has hit in 13 out of their last 16 games played in January. It has also hit in nine out of their last 12 home games against teams with a winning road record.
Minnesota Vikings
There’s been a type of magic surrounding the Vikings so far this season. It seems as though their home stadium and home fans have given them an extra charge. Last week, they beat the New York Giants after kicker Greg Joseph drilled a 61-yard field goal for the win as time expired. The week before, they overcame a 33-0 deficit against the Indianapolis Colts and won in overtime. It’s been a season filled with miracles. On one hand, it’s great that they can dig out of holes but on the other, it’s concerning that they keep falling behind.
This week, they hit the road against Green Bay. They handled their business well against them in the season opener, but each team has changed significantly since then. Minnesota has seen two out of their three total losses this season come on the road. We’ll see how they fare in frigid temperatures.
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay was almost entirely written off at the halfway point of the season and people were calling for Aaron Rodgers to retire. He’s since ripped off three straight wins to drag them right back into the Wild Card conversation with two weeks left to go. Rodgers has seemingly grown comfortable with some of the offensive weapons on the roster, particularly rookie Christian Watson.
Watson has seven touchdowns on the season now and is starting to get rolling in this offence. Rodgers has continued chemistry with Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan and Randall Cobb as well. These aren’t the best weapons in the world but Rodgers has a tendency to make the best out of what he’s given. And when the offence is working better, the defence seems to play well too when not too much is asked of them. This is a winnable game for them and one that can really send a message right before the playoffs.
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