Brett Favre makes his Minnesota Debut – Chiefs vs. Vikings

Kansas City Chiefs (0-1 SU & ATS) at Minnesota Vikings (1–0 SU & ATS)

Friday, August 21

NFL Betting Lines: MINNESOTA -3.5, Total 36

Here are some of the NFL pro football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* KC is 0-8 ATS in its last eight pre-season games

* KC has lost six of its last eight pre-season games SU

* KC has played eight of its last 13 pre-season games UNDER the total

* KC has covered one of its last six pre-season road games

* KC has lost five of its last six pre-season road games SU

* KC has played four of its last six pre-season road games UNDER the total

* MINN has covered four of its last six pre-season games

* MINN has played five of its last eight pre-season games OVER the total

* MINN has lost four of its last six pre-season home games SU

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I can remember a time when Dennis Green coached the Minnesota Vikings, and it was kind of an automatic that his team was going to slap around an opponent in the exhibition season. Those days are gone, as the Vikes have become more ordinary as a pre-season proposition. That could change, at least temporarily.

Vikings’ coach Brad Childress must have watched some of the tapes from practice, as well as Minnesota’s 13-3 win over Indianapolis last week, and must have decided that even though he got a 10-for-13 performance from Sage Rosenfels, he needed to upgrade the quarterback position. He picked up a phone and convinced Brett Favre to reconsider, and I’m not sure it took a lot of work to do it. Favre went immediately to the practice field, and he will see action on Friday. One of the top priorities is to get some rhythm with the receivers. It is easier for Favre than it was in New York last year because he is so familiar with the offensive system. Whether the Viking players will welcome him after his reported aloofness with the Jets last season remains to be seen.

One thing we ought to see is additional intensity from Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson, particularly Jackson, who may be battling for his NFL life right now and was only 7-for-15 against the Colts.

You can be certain that the atmosphere in the Metrodome will be electric, because Viking fans, who were frustrated with so-so quarterback play, now have some hope that they can take things to the next level. Thousands of season tickets were sold upon the announcement, as well as quite a bit of merchandise. How long he’ll actually play is anybody’s guess, but he injected some life into the Jets last season when he played in its first game, after very little practice.

Kansas City is starting over again….again. The Chiefs are going with new players at a lot of positions, including tight end, as Tony Gonzalez has departed. Actually, Kansas City should be in very good shape for pre-season football at quarterback, as they have Tyler Thigpen and Brodie Croyle, both of whom have been starters, along with Matt Cassel, who is now the guy getting just a series or two. They were not horrible against Houston, though they couldn’t get into the end zone until very late in the game.

The history is just not very good in Kansas City, where the Chiefs have dropped eight straight to the number in pre-season football and is 1-5 SU and ATS in the last six on the road. Minnesota may have taken advantage of some laziness on the part of the Colts, but did hold Indianapolis to 142 yards and just 3.3 yards a play in the opener. Let’s lay the points with the Vikings, the 3.5-point favorite in the BetOnline NFL pre-season football betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY: MINNESOTA -3.5 ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)