The two AFC wildcard round matches kick started the NFL playoffs on Saturday evening and on Sunday night it is the turn of the NFC to come to the party when two matches take place, the first of which sees the Minnesota Vikings heading to the New Orleans Saints.
The New Orleans Saints go into this match as the number three seed so if they win they will set up a clash with Green Bay Packers next week. The sixth seeded Vikings know they will be off to San Francisco should they come out on top.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints could be forgiven for having a little bit of trepidation heading into this playoff campaign because their last two have ended in incredible fashion, one of them against this very opponent when the Miracle of Minneapolis was performed, with the Saints losing to the Vikings on an incredible last play of the game. Then they were turned over by the Los Angeles Rams last year in a missed pass inference call that was so bad the infringement became a reviewable play this season.
They need to forget all that now though and focus on what is in front of them. They have had such a good season, especially at home, that they should be confident of coming through. Their defence has been in decent nick for most of the season and their nicely balanced offense has got the job done whether it was Dree Brees leading it or the former Viking star Teddy Bridgewater. If they execute their skills they are worthy favourites here.
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Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are becoming a regular playoff team now and their next aim will be to finally make it to the Super Bowl but that might not be as easy as it seems this season as given that they are the number six seed, they know they are on the road throughout their time in the playoffs. We’ve already seen the Buffalo Bills’ lack of postseason experience cost them this weekend but that shouldn’t happen with the Vikings.
Minnesota have a decent offense of their own which could serve them well if this one becomes a bit of a shootout, but the concerns on them from previous seasons is whether their defence is as good as it once was. The other concern is that while the Vikings have had a good season, generally when they have come up against the better opposition this season they have been beaten. That is a trend that needs to end here.
Betting
I sense this could be a long night for the Minnesota Vikings. They have come up against sides with a better regular season record than them on four occasions and they have lost the lot and that is a very concerning trend. They face a New Orleans Saints side who do not lack for motivation not just to make the Super Bowl but certainly to get the better of Minnesota and get their own back for that night which hurt them badly.
I expected to see some close matches this weekend and we got that with the first two battles. I don’t see this one being quite so tight though. The Saints look the better side on defence and at home I expect their offense to fire throughout. Minnesota haven’t really delivered the goods on the road in recent times and have only scored more than 20pts once in their last four matches. They’ll need more than that to win this. If New Orleans contain Dalvin Cook they should run out comfortable winners.
Tips
Back New Orleans Saints (-7.5) to beat Minnesota Vikings for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with 888sport
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