Minnesota at Jacksonville Week 14 Betting Pick & Odds

It seems like ages ago when the Vikings were NFL’s lone-standing unbeaten and Minnesota fans are mad like hell for courting the NFL headlines for the wrong reasons. But that’s what a 1-6 slump would do to you. The Jacksonville Jaguars have been just as bad, actually worse, over that seven-week stretch, coming into this week on seven-game losing streak. Something’s gotta give when these two teams square it out in Week 14’s NFL Lines. Which side should you be banking on? Read on as we offer our NFL betting insights for this game, complete with free online NFL picks.

Minnesota at Jacksonville Week 14 Betting Pick & Odds

Turnover trends favor the Vikings in #MINvsJAX. : https://t.co/GU8rZPsFTg pic.twitter.com/7eLYUIbHTL

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 7, 2016

Where: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL When: Sunday, December 11, 1:00 PM ET TV: FOX Radio: Minnesota / Jacksonville Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Lines: Minnesota (-3.5), OVER/UNDER 39.5

Why Bet on Minnesota?

The Vikings (6-6 SU, 7-5 ATS) did a lot of good in last week’s contest against NFL leaders, the Dallas Cowboys, but a number of missed opportunities—including a failed two-point conversion that would have tied the game in the fourth quarter and send it to overtime—cost the team a winning chance. A lot of positives can, however, be taken from the valiant 17-15 loss to Dallas. For one, Minny’s #2 scoring defense in the league (17.4 PPG allowed) played its part with a strong effort while the Viking pass rush hounded QB Dak Prescott and his targets all day. Offensively, Sam Bradford decently passed for 247 yards and a touchdown against zero picks (on 32-of- 45 passing). With very little support coming from Minnesota’s poor running game this season, the onus will be on Bradford to flex his arms once again, along with another strong support from Minny’s D-line. The tools are there in the offense and the D has been good for nearly the whole season, so Minnesota should certainly have a winning chance here.

Why Bet on Jacksonville?

While the Jags have been playing badly for most of the season, it should be noted that they haven’t been as poor as is suggested by their 2-10 SU and 5-7 ATS records on the season. Last week, for example, they aggressively harassed rookie QB Paxton Lynch and his Denver offense, limiting him to 12-of- 24 passing for 104 yards and 1-of- 13 conversion on third downs with the Broncos finishing with just 206 total yards. Unfortunately, opposing QB Blake Bortles and his Jags playmakers were not able to match the strong effort from their defense, eventually falling 20-10 to Denver. With Minny having a defense that is just as solid as that of Denver, Jacksonville will need to find a better offensive game-plan if it is to claim the win here. The Jags have a solid top-5 ranked pass rush unit that can frustrate Bradford and Co., but that won’t matter much if the offense can’t clean up its act.

NFL Betting Pick & Prediction:

While there isn’t much to separate these Vikings (1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS in last 7 outings) and the Jags (0-7 Su and 2-5 ATS in last 7 outings) as far as their recent forms are concerned, our NFL betting experts feel that the Vikings will have the edge in this game due to their unmatched strength in the turnover department. Bradford and his offense don’t turn it over that much while Minnesota’s defense ranks third-best in the nation in takeaways (at 22). Jacksonville, on the other hand, rarely forces turnovers from opponents (Lynch finished last week with zero turnovers despite the Jags’ pressure). And to make matters worse, Bortles is a turnover machine with 15 interceptions and 5 fumbles to his name this season, including two picks (one of them being a pick 6) against the Broncos last week. With Bradford leading a serviceable offense and Minnesota’s defense winning the turnover battle against Bortles and the Jags, Minnesota should be good for the victory plus the points this Sunday, with the total looking likely to stay low in a defense-dominated slugfest. Final Score Prediction: Minnesota 20, Jacksonville 14 Writer’s NFL Pick: Minnesota (-3.5)