NFL Odds - NFC Championship rematch Vikings vs Saints
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
by BookMaker.com
NFL Betting: The scheduling gurus deserve a pat on the back after gracing NFL fans will a season opener between two of the league’s best teams. It will be a rematch of the NFC Championship when Brett Favre and the Minnesota Viking invade New Orleans to square off against Drew Brees and the defending Super Bowl champs Thursday night.
The spread for this contest opened at Bookmaker at 4.5 in favor of the New Orleans Saints and that’s where it currently stands. After an erroneous report surfaced that Favre would be retiring, the number shot up to as high as 7 points. When the ageless quarterback announced his return, the spread dropped back to 4.
An instigating factor in the movement back to 4.5 was the injury to Sidney Rice. Minnesota’s leading receiver underwent hip surgery and will miss the first six games of the season. Rice’s absence also affected the game total which opened at 51.5 but has been bet down a field goal to 48.5.
Len Pasquarelli of the Sports Xchange reported two weeks ago that a reliable source with the Vikings said that without Rice the offense would have to alter its gameplan. That means a whole lot more of Adrian Peterson than we saw last year. And if there’s more running then more clock will be eaten up which should equate to lower scoring from the Vikes.
Minnesota’s No. 2 wideout, Percy Harvin, has been dealing with migraines during training camp—an illness he’s battled throughout his life. He is expected to be ready Thursday but migraines can pop up at any time so bettors will want to monitor his status throughout the week.
While the Vikings might prefer a slower game pace, that’s not going to deter the New Orleans Saints from marching up and down the field. New Orleans averaged 31.8 points per game last season which led the league and the starters put up gaudy offensive numbers during the preseason despite limited playing time.
"I thought we had some good tempo early on and was pleased we were able to score early," head coach Sean Payton said of his offense’s preseason execution.
In last year’s postseason meeting between these two, New Orleans escaped with a 31-28 overtime victory as 4-point favorites. The Vikings really should have won the game but turned the ball over five times including a drive-ending interception by Farve inside the final minute of play.
The Saints have a sizeable home-field edge when playing in the Super Dome. Opposing quarterbacks struggle to call plays with 72,000 screaming fans breathing down their necks. New Orleans should be able to cover 4 points or less so you might have to buy the hook if you’re going that route. The more prudent bet might be the under, we’re guessing anywhere from 38 to 45 total points will be scored in this affair.
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adrian peterson - brett favre - drew brees - minnesota viking - new orleans saints - nfl betting - percy harvin - sean payton - sidney rice - super bowl