Packers vs. Vikings Point Spread: NFL Week 12 Odds, Prediction
Before the season began, the Packers and Vikings were nearly equal betting favourites to win the NFC North. Not a huge surprise considering one of them has won the division every year since 2011. However, the Chicago Bears are much improved and lead the division, so it’s looking more and more like neither Green Bay nor Minnesota takes the North.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The winner Sunday night will own a potentially important head-to-head tiebreaker … that is, assuming there is a winner. In Week 2, the clubs tied 29-29 at Lambeau Field. That game was wacky. Minnesota should have never gotten a chance to tie it late in regulation, but Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was called for a ticky-tack roughing the passer penalty that extended a Vikings drive. Green Bay’s Mason Crosby missed a 52-yard field goal at the end of regulation.
You can almost accept your kicker missing from the distance. What isn’t acceptable is a kicker missing from both 49 and 35 yards – which Vikings rookie Daniel Carlson did in overtime. The latter was at the end of OT, and both were wide right. He also missed in regulation, and to no surprise Carlson was released the following day even though the team traded up in the fifth round of the 2018 draft to select him. Veteran Dan Bailey replaced Carlson.
The home team is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings.
Green Bay Packers
Many around the NFL believe that Green Bay will fire coach Mike McCarthy if the Packers miss the playoffs again. That’s looking more likely after the Packers fell to 0-5 on the road this year with a 27-24 loss in Seattle last Thursday. Green Bay led 14-3 at one point but allowed the game-winning TD with about five minutes left. Plenty of time for Aaron Rodgers to at least drive his team for a tying field goal, but the Packers went three-and-out on the next drive and never got the ball back. Rodgers threw for 332 yards and two scores but did have a few uncharacteristic misses and was sacked five times. He was 2-for-6 passing on third down and four of the sacks came on that down.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota offence was largely dominated by the Chicago defence in Sunday night’s 25-20 loss at the Bears, which dropped the Vikings 1.5 games back in the NFC North. The Vikes had just 268 total yards (22 rushing) and turned it over three times, one a pick that was returned for a touchdown. Minnesota has now won just two of its past 11 at Soldier Field, and QB Kirk Cousins fell to 4-12 in prime-time games, most of those while with Washington. Starting linebacker Anthony Barr missed a third straight game with a hamstring injury. The Vikings are a stellar 26-9 ATS in their past 35 games following a loss.
