Vikings vs. Commanders Point Spread: NFL Week 9 Odds, Prediction
-
Edgar Chaput
Few foresaw the Vikings as one of the top NFC teams heading into the season’s halfway mark, whereas the Commanders are riding an unexpected three-game winning streak.
The experts have slotted Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings as 3.5-point favourites on the NFL odds. The Over/Under is 43.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
We need to go back to 2019 for the last time the Vikings and Commanders met on the field. The men in purple won 19-9 and have captured four of the previous five tilts. Another way of looking at it is that QB Kirk Cousins has won the past 3 games, regardless of which team’s colours he’s sported.
Minnesota has been a perplexing squad ATS in 2022. Despite their enviable win-loss record, they’ve disappointed bettors who put their faith in them, only going 3-4 ATS. Obviously, the team only cares about winning, but for fans who pay attention to these things, the Vikings win much closer games than what the spread often suggests.
As for Washington, looking at how they’ve climbed their way to 4-4 ATS, it’s involved a lot of script flipping. Underdog status against Green Bay and Indy resulted in wins. Status as favourites against Tennessee and Detroit resulted in losses.
Minnesota Vikings
Sitting at 6-1 must feel pretty good. Not only are they several games ahead in the NFC North against their most hated foe, the Packers, but not many people pinned them as a candidate that would be in the running for the NFC’s No. 1 seed (Philly still holds the pole position, but it’s close).
What stands out the most about Minnesota’s performances in 2022 is how they are reversing the age-old script that has plagued so many of their seasons. Traditionally a bad road team, they’ve won twice away from home already (once away from the US!). Instead of coughing up in close games, they’ve closed them out. Case in point: last week’s 34-26 win at home vs the Arizona Cardinals. While the last couple of offensive possessions showed ineptitude, they still held the fort. Moreover, the offence displayed creativity and variety, with five different players scoring either through the air or on the ground. While it’s tempting to talk about QB play, it’s the two-headed running game dragon of Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison that impresses most.
Washington Commanders
The 2022 season is starting to look a lot like 2020 for the Washington Commanders. A team that few paid much attention to heading into the campaign, hang around at 4-4 in an NFC that could very well see a team or even two make the playoffs with iffy records.
Speaking of echoes of 2020, look at Taylor Heinicke giving the Washington offence some spark. With the ever-controversial Carson Wentz on IR, Heinicke has helped the team win two games in a row. Both contests saw the QB make baffling mistakes and heroic plays at just the right moments. Some of his throws have been jaw-droppingly poor, but they’re winning. More importantly, he stops making mistakes in crunch time. The 17-16 win in Indy last week was a great example, When it looked as though the Commanders were done and dusted, Heinicke took them 89 yards and scored with the winning TD himself.
MIN
WAS