NFL Pick with Props – New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings

Sunday, January 3rd – Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis – 1:00 PM ET

NFL Point Spread: Minnesota -9, O/U: 47.5

Both of these teams blew wonderful opportunities last week. The Giants, needing a win to stay in the postseason hunt, were at home against a lackluster Carolina squad. They laid a stinker, losing 41-9 to the Panthers and eliminating themselves from the playoffs. For a team that preached strong defense, a loss like that is an embarrassment and probably signals a change at the defensive coordinator position for next year.

With New Orleans losing to Tampa Bay the day before, the Vikings had a chance to gain ground and keep their hopes of a number one seed alive. Instead, they lost to the Bears and did nothing to silence the critics that claim they peaked too early in the season. Now the Vikings don’t even control their own destiny for the NFC second seed.

Even if Minnesota beats the Giants, an Eagles win will give Philadelphia the second seed and a first round bye. Oh how the once mighty have fallen.

New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings (-9) >> Join to Bet Now

What The Giants Have To Do To Win

Last week’s loss will not be forgotten for a long time, especially given the fact that it was the team’s final game in Giants Stadium. It’s unknown when Tom Coughlin will bench his starters, but one can assume David Carr and the backups will get his reps at some point during the game.

They’ll be playing against a Vikings squad that is trying to earn a bye-week for the playoffs, meaning they probably won’t see Tarvaris Jackson at any point during the game. If the Giants want to win, they’ll have to exploit the same weaknesses in the secondary that Jay Cutler found last week. Eli Manning may be able to do that, but Carr won’t.  

What The Vikings Have To Do To Win

The Vikings are one of the rare teams in the NFC with something to lose. Despite their recent struggles, Minnesota is still a dangerous team, especially on offense. Last week Brett Favre led the Vikings on a brilliant last drive to force overtime. This Sunday they’ll face a downtrodden Giants team that just wants to end their miserable season. New York’s defense looked god-awful last week, which bodes well for a team that features Favre, Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice.  

Outlook & Pick

The Vikings have lost three of their last four and looked pretty miserable in the process. The fact that Favre has succumbed to late-season struggles over the past two years is a large and unavoidable red flag within Vikings Nation. But the Vikings didn’t start the season 10-1 by chance. They have a considerable amount of talent on both sides of the ball and are capable of breaking out at any time.

A strong performance from the Vikings against the Giants may not guarantee them the second seed in the NFC, but it should at least provide momentum for a potentially successful postseason run.  

NFL Point Spread Pick: Vikings -9 & under 47.5
  
Prop Betting: Team To Score First And Score In First Six Minutes

The Vikings are going to want to score quickly to erase any memories of last week’s debacle. The Giants are a beaten team with no motivation to play. Not a hard one to predict.

Prop Betting Pick: Vikings Will Score First, Score In First Six Minutes

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