It wasn’t long ago when a sports betting meeting between these teams would have been considered a marquee NFC matchup, with both teams considered legitimate contenders for a conference championship. Times have changed in the NFL, and while the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers have opened the year undefeated with six wins, the Minnesota Vikings are struggling to build an identity with just one win through six games.
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Sunday October 23, 2011 – 4:15 PM ET
Mall of America Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
NFL Betting Lines: Green Bay Packers – 9
That lone Vikings’ win can be credited to running back Adrian Peterson, rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Peterson didn’t have nearly as much room last week against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, and the result was a 39-10 loss.
NFL Betting Preview: Green Bay Packers
The Packers will undoubtedly key in on Peterson and the Minnesota rushing attack with the league’s fifth-ranked run defense, forcing rookie Christian Ponder to try and move the ball through the air in his first start. Green Bay has won each of its first six games by seven points or more, and as long as they can keep Peterson in check they should have no problem keeping that streak going. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense ranks third in the NFL in passing yards with an average of 325.2 yards per game, and those numbers could be even better in a dome against a Vikings’ defense that has been awful defending the pass.
NFL Betting Preview: Minnesota Vikings
For a team that ranks second-to-last in the NFL in passing yards, it really isn’t difficult to figure out why Minnesota will make the switch to Ponder at quarterback this Sunday. It wasn’t that long ago that the Vikings’ offense ranked among the most dangerous in the league, and head coach Leslie Frazier is hoping this will be the first bet football online step on a long road to getting back to that level. While Minnesota’s offense has once again been solid against the run, they have struggled against the pass and don’t much well against Rodgers and the Green Bay offense.
NFL Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
Ponder should make the Vikings better in the long run, but there are some that question whether he is ready to be an NFL starter and there has to be doubt that he can be much better than Donovan McNabb this early. Making his debut as a starter against the defending Super Bowl champion Packers won’t be easy for Ponder, as Green Bay looks to extend their perfect record to seven wins as the league’s only undefeated team.
NFL Betting Pick: Green Bay Packers