A potential NFC playoff preview unfolds on Sunday afternoon as the Carolina Panthers welcome the Minnesota Vikings to town. The Vikings ride in on an eight-game winning streak and have taken control of the NFC North. The Panthers had put together an impressive four-game winning streak until they went to New Orleans and took a loss at the hands of the NFC South-leading Saints. Can the Panthers stop the Vikings’ streak and deliver an impressive home win? Or will the Vikings take down yet another NFC contender? Take a look at our NFL Week 14 odds perspective on this important matchup.
Minnesota at Carolina NFL Week 14 Odds & Betting Analysis
When: Sunday, December 10, 2017, 1:00pm ET Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC TV: CBS Radio: KFXN 100.3 FM Minneapolis-St. Paul / WBT 1110 AM Charlotte Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Week 14 Odds: Minnesota (-3), O/U 41Prepping for the Panthers. #Skol
📷: https://t.co/s3xdUJeGId pic.twitter.com/3WUd55LaZr — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 6, 2017
Weather Forecast
- Clear: 4°C/40°F
- Humidity: 37%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Wind: 8 mph WNW
- Cloud Cover: 0%
- Type of Stadium: Open
Why should you bet on the Vikings?
When Case Keenum was busy leading the Rams to three-and-outs and waiting for Jared Goff to learn enough to take over the (then-St.Louis) offense, it was hard to see that he would turn into an efficient quarterback who could lead his team up and down the field week in and week out. Under head coach Mike Zimmer, though, Keenum has been terrific. In the Vikings’ win over Atlanta, he completed 83.3 percent of his passes and threw a pair of touchdowns. That made four straight games where he completed 70 percent of his passes. Over that stretch, he has nine touchdown passes and two interceptions. The Vikings have had a dominant defense for the past couple of years. After all, Zimmer’s forte is building ironclad defenses, going back to his days as the defensive coordinator in Dallas. However, the Vikings’ offense has struggled to get going, thanks to a lack of a legitimate running game and to injuries at the quarterback position, as Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford have gone down in the last two seasons. The defense remains solid and will give Cam Newton fits.Why should you put your money on the Panthers?
Cam Newton has had games this season that were amazing, and he has had games this season that made Panthers fans everywhere scratch their heads. Against the Saints, he was right in the middle, though. He went 17 for 27 for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 31-21 loss. However, the Panthers only made it down into the red zone on two occasions, and they lost the time of possession battle by seven minutes. Given the weapons that the Panthers have on offense — Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Stewart in the backfield and Cam Newton to run the ball or throw it down the field — the Panthers should be a more dynamic offense than they are. The Panthers’ defense has improved this season. However, they simply couldn’t hang with New Orleans last week, as the Saints built an early two-touchdown lead and maintained it until there were four minutes left in regulation, and the Panthers simply did not have enough time to mount the comeback they needed. Things don’t get much easier for the Panthers’ defense this week, because Minnesota has shown the ability both to mount sustained drives and score at lightning speed on different occasions.Latest NFL Betting Trends
- Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 games
- Minnesota is 5-0 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 6 games
- Carolina is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games
- Carolina is 4-1 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went OVER in 7 of Carolina’s last 10 games
