Vikings vs. Chargers TNF Point Spread: NFL Week 8 Odds, Prediction
Both of these teams are coming off losses, with the Vikings falling just short against the Eagles while the Chargers were outclassed by the Colts in a potential AFC playoff preview.
With the Vikings looking to get back into the NFC playoff picture and Los Angeles looking to avoid its fourth loss in the last five contests, let’s get into our Vikings vs Chargers predictions for TNF.
Thursday Night Football Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Even though they’re playing at home, the Chargers are only favoured by three points against Minnesota, and much of that is due to the Vikings’ current situation at quarterback. With this game being played on a short week and both offences not operating at their best of late, it’s not surprising that this total is at 44.5.
On the NFL odds, the Vikings are 3-3 against the spread this season, while the Chargers are just 2-4-1 ATS. Games involving the Vikings typically go over the total, with the Over cashing in five of their six games played to this point. Los Angeles has generally been an Under team, with four of its seven games going below the number thus far.
Minnesota Vikings
Despite the fact that Minnesota continues to get poor injury luck at the quarterback position, the Vikings keep trucking along under head coach Kevin O’Connell. After all, this is a team that has remained competitive with J.J. McCarthy out of the lineup due to injury, as Carson Wentz stepped in and played just decently enough for the Vikings to pick up wins over the Browns and Bengals, while staying competitive against the Steelers and Eagles.
Minnesota’s defence continues to be the strength of the team at the moment, and Brian Flores’ unit should be able to see success with his heavy blitzing style against a Chargers offensive line that has been absolutely decimated with injuries this season. It wouldn’t shock me if the Vikings had multiple sacks on Thursday.
Los Angeles Chargers
Following a 3-0 start to the season, the Chargers have been on the struggle bus in recent weeks, and it all starts up front. It’s clear that this team isn’t going anywhere with its current disastrous offensive line situation, and Justin Herbert has been running for his life for most of the last month. The only win the Chargers have picked up since Week 3 was a game against the Dolphins, in which Los Angeles blew a fourth-quarter lead and had to rally to pull out a two-point win against an awful Miami team.
However, this is a good spot for the Chargers’ defence to bounce back from a poor showing against Indianapolis and get back to creating havoc and forcing turnovers against Wentz, who has been turnover-prone of late. If Jesse Minter’s defence can limit the explosiveness of Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota receivers downfield, the Chargers should be in good shape to at least be in this game in the fourth quarter.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Vikings vs. Chargers?
This game could go in several different directions, especially since it’s Thursday Night Football and both teams are struggling of late. However, it’s hard to ignore getting a full field goal with the Vikings in this spot, especially considering the struggles that Los Angeles is having on offence, along with its injury situation on the offensive line.
This could be a game where the hosts move the ball, but struggle to close out drives with touchdowns, much like we’ve seen all season long. With that in mind, let’s look for the Chargers to squeak out a victory by a score in the region of 23-21.
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