The NFL 2022 season hits London for the first time this week when the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium plays host to the match between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings which gets the Sunday action underway.
The Saints have lost two of their opening three matches this term and will not want to fall to 1-3 for the campaign. The Vikings are 2-1 for their season but with the Packers looking like they are finding their feet in the NFC North, this is a match they won’t want to lose either.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Sports NFL channel with the hour long build-up beginning at 1.30pm and kick off in London at 2.30pm.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints opened up their season with a narrow win over the Atlanta Falcons but then they have lost to the other two teams in their division so their 1-2 record for the campaign is slightly more damaging than it might have been. That makes a London win very important to their season. While the extra match means starting 1-3 isn’t the catastrophe it might have been in the past, it still isn’t a favourable position to be in.
Injuries haven’t been kind to the Saints at the beginning of the season and it looks like they are going to be without starting quarterback Jameis Winston for this match. They are hoping Alvin Kamara will be fit which will be no bad thing. The Saints have only scored 24 points in their last two matches combined so they will know that is the area where they have to make sufficient improvements if they are to be relevant this season.
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Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have picked up a couple of home wins this season but lost their away match for a 2-1 record. The defeat was to the Philadelphia Eagles, which doesn’t look a terrible result given the way they have started the campaign. The two wins for the Vikings have both come against divisional rivals so they have the early ascendancy in the NFC North and they have the platform and stage here to showcase their talents.
There are concerns over the Vikings heading into this match. Their defence hasn’t really lived up to the billing and they have been unable to get their stud receiver Justin Jefferson into the last two matches, and in truth the Green Bay defence never really showed up in the opening game to give them a chance of stopping him. The other concern for the Vikings in this match is the bashed up nature of their running back Dalvin Cook which is sure to hinder them offensively.
Betting
Injuries are already having a massive impact on the New Orleans Saints and now their quarterback has officially been ruled out. Andy Dalton is probably one of the better backup QBs on the circuit but it isn’t ideal that thousands of miles away from Louisiana they have to make a change in that position. Worse still, Dalton won’t have the services of Michael Thomas or Jarvis Landry to call upon either so the Saints look to be relying on their defence to get the job done in this one.
That defence is perfectly good enough to be competitive but they go up against a balanced Minnesota Vikings offense who will surely look to establish the 1-2 punch of Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison at the earliest opportunity. The longer the Saints get pounded by the run they more they will need to add defensive services to stop it which will open up the huge threat of Justin Jefferson. If Kirk Cousins can play a clean game I expect it to be the Vikings leaving London with the win.
Tips
Back Minnesota Vikings (-3) to beat New Orleans Saints for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Sky Bet
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