The Minnesota Vikings updated their unofficial depth chart on the team website a couple of days ago, and one update stood out – declaring Brian O’Neill as the starting right tackle. That’s a huge announcement given the fact that the Vikings will face a stout pass rush and solid rushing defense when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town Sunday for the season opener. The team gave him a five-year, $92.5 million deal, and he started contributing immediately, appearing in 15 games as a rookie and starting 11 of those. The left tackle, Christian Darrisaw, joins O’Neill to make one of the top tackle duos in the NFL. O’Neill did tear an Achilles tendon in Week 17, but this roster designation is a sign that O’Neill is healthy and ready to go. Can the Vikings stop Baker Mayfield on Sunday? We’ll see – and don’t miss our NFL betting preview for this showdown between NFL Buccaneers vs Vikings with questions to answer.
Week 1: NFL Buccaneers vs Vikings Betting Odds | Bet NFL Football Lines by Xbet Sportsbook
When: Sunday, September 10, 2023, 1:00 pm ET
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
TV: CBS
Radio: WXTB 97.9 FM Tampa / KFAN 100.3 FM Minneapolis-St. Paul
Live Stream: FuboTV, Paramount+
NFL Odds: Minnesota -5.5 / O/U 45 // Tampa Bay +205 / Minnesota -250
Why should you bet on the Buccaneers?
There is not a lot of sports betting optimism surrounding the Buccaneers this year. Replacing Tom Brady with Baker Mayfield is not an upgrade to be sure, but let’s remember that Mayfield led the Cleveland Browns to their first road playoff win ever and almost pushed them past Kansas City in a divisional round playoff loss. Mayfield came into Los Angeles last year and, on a couple days’ notice, started at quarterback for the Rams and led them to a thrilling comeback win over Las Vegas. He has Mike Evans and Chris Godwin running routes for him, which is an upgrade over the receiver group he had with the Rams.
In Mayfield’s first preseason play with Tampa Bay, he went 8 of 9 for 63 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings were 31st (of 32 teams) in the NFL last year in pass defense, permitting 265.8 yards per game. They did win 13 games last year, but they only won 11 by a single possession, and when things didn’t go their way, they fell off the table. The Vikings lost by 37 points to Dallas and by 24 points to a Green Bay team that missed the postseason. The Bucs have a huge opportunity to post a road upset in Week 1.
Bet on the Buccaneers to Win Today
Why should you put your money on the Vikings?
The Vikings have a 6-1 record in home openers at U.S. Bank Stadium, and they did go 13-4 last year. Kevin O’Connell enters his second year as the head coach, and the defense returns six starts from Week 1 a year ago, while the offense has a lot of continuity at quarterback and wide receiver. Dalvin Cook is gone, with Alexander Mattison shouldering the load as featured back until the rookies start contributing. This will be the first time that Kirk Cousins has the same coach calling plays in two straight seasons since he joined the Vikings five years ago. The system seemed to work for him last year, and he has Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, and tight end T.J. Hockenson all getting open down the field.
Cousins improved as the season went along, as he led all NFL qualifying quarterbacks with 298.0 passing yards per game over Weeks 12-18, with a 102.1 passer rating, which ranked fourth. One could also notice, of course, that teams tend to pass more when things are going poorly and they need to catch up, but Cousins’ production was solid.
Bet on the Vikings to Win Today
Final Score and Prediction
Letting Dalvin Cook could turn into a mistake for the Vikings, depending on how Mattison and the tailback acquisitions settle in. Cousins puts up big numbers but also has a way of throwing picks at the wrong time, especially under pressure. I see Tampa Bay putting the screws on the Minnesota offense while Baker Mayfield slices and dices that Viking secondary. I predict a final score of Tampa Bay 27, Minnesota 20.
NFL Buccaneers vs Vikings | Odds to Win Conference Championship
AFC Championship
| AFC Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +390 |
| Buffalo Bills | +460 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +520 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +970 |
| New York Jets | +1025 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +1100 |
| Miami Dolphins | +1150 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +1275 |
| Cleveland Browns | +1825 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +2400 |
| Denver Broncos | +2700 |
| New England Patriots | +3900 |
| Tennessee Titans | +4000 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | +5400 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +7000 |
| Houston Texans | +9500 |
| AFC Lines to Win | |
NFC Championship
| NFC Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | +310 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +370 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +620 |
| Detroit Lions | +750 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +1350 |
| New Orleans Saints | +1525 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +1725 |
| Atlanta Falcons | +2300 |
| New York Giants | +2400 |
| Green Bay Packers | +2800 |
| Chicago Bears | +3000 |
| Washington Commanders | +3600 |
| Carolina Panthers | +3600 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +4100 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +5600 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +12000 |
| NFC Lines to Win | |
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