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Edgar Chaput
Saints vs. Vikings Point Spread: NFL Week 10 Odds, Prediction
New Orleans has ridden the ups and downs of a roller coaster NFL campaign. They won their first two games, then had a single victory sandwiched by four defeats, only to follow that up with two wins since. Their most recent success was last week at home to the Bears, whom they took down 24-17. For their part, the Vikings are a wild proposition. They were seemingly dead in the water at 0-3, yet are now 5-4 despite being hobbled by injuries.
The visiting Saints are the favourites for this one, as per the NFL odds. The spread is thin though, at only -2.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It doesn’t matter how many times the Saints play the Vikings. Fans will always think back to the miraculous conclusion of the 2018 NFC Divisional Round playoff game. That the Vikings were squashed a week later by the Eagles in the conference title bout can never take away that magical moment in franchise history. The 2020 Wild Card, which went to overtime, was another great postseason battle, also won by Minnesota.
In New Orleans’ favour, there was a Christmas Day 2020 contest in which they bulldozed their way to a 52-33 victory, in large part thanks to RB Alvin Kamara’s six TD performance.
It’s been a disappointing season for the Saints, at least as far as expectations go. At 5-4, the side doesn’t look like a legitimate contender despite the arrival of QB Derek Carr, or possibly because of that. Against the spread, things are worse given the 2-6-1. Consider that they were favoured in eight of the nine games. To not cover every spread is forgivable, but only two?
Minnesota has completely turned its season around. Time will tell how much longer they keep on winning games without their star players, but they’re in the NFC conversation of possible playoff clubs. They’ve also much improved ATS, having covered four times consecutively.
New Orleans Saints
The 24-17 win over the Chicago Bears said about everything that needs to be said about the 2023 New Orleans Saints. They’re a decent side with many talented players, but the whole package leaves to be desired.
Consider that the Bears went into battle with rookie QB Tyson Bagent, facing a defence that’s seventh in both total yards and points allowed a game. That didn’t prevent it from being a 14-14 score at the break. New Orleans got down to business more effectively in the second half, limiting Chicago to a field goal and snaring three Bagent passes. Taysom Hill entered the history books as the first player in nearly 60 years to compile double-digit figures in TDs passes, runs, and catches. No one ever got going on offence. Kamara was a ghost, and Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave were quieter than usual.
Minnesota Vikings
In Week 9 the Vikings pulled a rabbit out of a hat. Having just traded for QB Josh Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals during the week, they somehow escaped Atlanta with a 31-28 win over the Falcons.
More amazing is that Dobbs found Brandon Powell in the end zone with only 22 seconds left in the game and the Vikings trailing 28-24. It was as if the result was meant to be. After a first half that was a little dull (Atlanta had two sequences of terrific field positioning but could only kick field goals), the fireworks erupted after the break. Dobbs’ numbers weren’t great (20-for-30, 158 yards and two TDs) but they got the job done, as did his legs. the QB scampered for 66 yards, often extending drives in the process. T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison were his two favourite targets on the day, catching seven and five targets, respectively.
Unfortunately, they lost RB Cam Akers in the process, who is now on IR.
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