Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings – Week 6 NFL Betting Analysis
Philadelphia Eagles (3-2 2-3 ATS) at Minnesota Vikings (3-2 3-2 ATS)
The Eagles head to the Land of 10,000 Lakes this Sunday to take on the Vikings, who are a three-point favorite with a total of 43.5.
The public has been betting evenly on both teams, as the line opened at Vikings -3 and the total has only gone down from 44 to 43.5.
After a poor start the Eagles have won two in a row and they are coming off a 31-6 blowout win over the winless New York Jets. They are tied for first place in the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys, who have lost two in a row.
The Vikings have won two of their last three games and their two losses have come against NFC North foes. Kirk Cousins has taken a lot of heat leading a Minnesota offense that only ranks 29th in the league in passing yards per game but the team ranks 3rd in rushing yards per game and 4th in overall defense.
These teams met last season in Philly where the Vikings beat the Eagles 23-21.
The Eagles have covered the spread in seven of the last 10 games between these teams.
Defense Gets it Done
In their 31-6 blowout win over the Jets in their last game the Eagles’ defense was great holding the Jets to only 128 total yards and they scored two defensive TD. Oh yeah, the pass rush was pretty decent as well with 10, yes 10, sacks.
The Eagles did not have the best game on offense with 265 total yards and only 84 rushing yards. Carson Wentz passed for 189 yards with a TD and no INT and Zach Ertz, who caught the TD pass, led three players with at least 49 receiving yards with 47 of them.
Jordan Howard rushed for 62 yards averaging a respectable 4.2 yards per carry after rushing for a season-high 87 yards in his previous game.
Wentz has not been picked off in his last three games, but he has also not passed for over 259 yards in his last four games. His WR corps is getting healthier and deep threat guy DeSean Jackson has missed the last three games and is listed as questionable for this big game.
Minnesota has a balanced defense ranking 9th in the league against the pass and 4th against the run and they only gave up 211 total yards in their last game.
Solid All-Around Win
The Vikings manhandled the New York Giants in their last game in a 28-10 win where they outgained them 490 yards to 211 yards. All the press for Minnesota has been on Kirk Cousins struggles and the WR’s not getting the rock, but the Minnesota D is still one of the best in the league.
Cousins quieted his critics for at least a week with his play against the Giants passing for 308 yards with two TD and no INT and the WR who called him out because of his play in Adam Thielen had 130 receiving yards in the New York game.
Dalvin Cook has been the big star of the team this season ranking 2nd in the league in rushing yards and in the Giants win he rushed for 133 yards averaging a sweet 6.3 yards per carry. Cook is averaging 5.9 yards per carry on the season and has 100+ receiving yards in four of five games.
The Eagles’ defense shut down the Jets last week, but it was the Jets. They rank first in the league in run defense, only ranking 27th in pass defense, but they have not faced a team with a good ground game and that changes this Sunday in Minnesota.
Our Prediction
The Eagles have covered in five of their last six road games and seven of their last 10 games overall.
The Vikings have only covered the spread one time in their last eight games facing a team with a winning record.
This one is not an easy call with the Eagles hot and the Vikings at home and coming off a great win. I have to pick the Vikings in this game, as Cook will go big, Cousins will have his 2nd straight solid game, and their defense will play well. This game will be close but at home take the Vikings to win and also cover the spread.
PICK: Vikings -3