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Edgar Chaput
Vikings vs. Raiders Point Spread: NFL Week 14 Odds, Prediction
Neither the Vikings nor the Raiders are sunk yet. Even so, Week 14 is incredibly important for both Minnesota and Las Vegas, who need to string wins together just to remain in the playoff conversation, not even a playoff spot. Prior to their breaks both clubs fell in frustrating contests. Minnesota was stunned at home by the Chicago Bears 12-10 whereas Las Vegas was taught yet another football lesson by the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-17.
The NFL odds have the visiting Vikings as slight +3 favourites.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Minnesota and Las Vegas (or Oakland) don’t play each other very often. Memories of Super Bowl XI are fading and not much has occurred between these franchises since then to make for any sort of rivalry. There have only been four meetings in the last 16 years, with the Vikings taking three of them, most recently in 2019.
The Vikings are still ranked quite highly in total offensive yards (350 per match, good for 10th) and have kept gaining considerable yardage even with Josh Dobbs at the helm. As of this writing, he’s still number one on the team’s QB depth chart, although questions were raised after the Monday night debacle two weeks ago. The defence has massively improved since starting the season poorly, and that’s resulted in the over only going 3-9. The spread has been kind to Kevin O’Connell’s unit, with a 7-4-1.
The Raiders also have an over-under record of 3-9 although in their case it has as much to do with a moribund attack as it does a defence that’s played a bit better than in recent seasons. For a team that’s somehow mustered five victories, they only gain 284 total yards a match and score 16.8. Vegas is a bit more difficult to trust with the spread given its 6-5-1 record. They were riding a three-game success streak before the defeat to Kansas City two weeks ago.
Minnesota Vikings
The Monday night match at home versus the Bears a fortnight ago was a worrisome moment in a Vikings season that’s already experienced its share. Major injuries to Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson did nothing to deter Minnesota from winning more games, but the offence was incredibly flat against Chicago and Josh Dobbs’ performance was atrocious.
Not many teams get outgained by the Bears, but that was the fate the Vikings suffered on this night (317 to 242). Dobbs tossed four picks. A couple were not entirely his fault, but overall one could tell that he was off. A Chicago defence that’s been gashed plenty of times this season looked more than competent for once, which spoke ill of Minnesota. Alexander Mattison had a strong 5.2 yards per carry but only touched the ball 10 times. T.J. Hockenson scored the lone TD late in the game, but the Vikings’ fortune turned for the worse on Chicago’s game-winning field-goal drive.
Las Vegas Raiders
Given where both franchises are today and how things have gone for a few years, nobody was surprised by what transpired in Week 12 between the Raiders and Chiefs.
About the only element of the game that raised eyebrows was that Las Vegas raced out to a 14-0 advantage with an 18-yard TD from Jakobi Meyers and a superb 63-yard dash by Josh Jacobs. But then the Chiefs awoke from their slumber and thoroughly outclassed the Raiders the rest of the way en route to a 31-17 win. That 63-yard score by Jacobs? He finished with 110 on 20 carries, so not much else happened apart from that play. QB Aidan O’Connell, a rookie, isn’t playing as if he’s the answer to the squad’s quarterback woes. He isn’t terrible, just an average rookie making first-year mistakes.
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