Vikings at 49ers Matchup, Odds and Picks
Travis Lueder
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The Matchup
This Sunday the Minnesota Vikings travel to the San Fransisco Bay Area to take on the 49ers in a late afternoon game. Both the Vikings and 49ers come into this matchup with a record of 5-5 but are trending in the right direction after 2-3 starts to the season. The Vikings and 49ers have split the series 1-1 since both Mike Zimmer and Kyle Shanahan have taken over as head coaches, with the Vikings winning the first match up in 2018 and the 49ers winning the most recent in 2020. The all time series score in this NFC matchup is 24-23-1 favoring the 49ers, as the Vikings look to even up the score on Sunday.
Minnesota comes into this game missing even more pieces on the defensive line than usual with both Everson Griffen and Dalvin Tomlinson out this week. This might lead to another defensive struggle and require the Vikings offense to pick up the slack yet again to win the game. With the injuries and recent performance it might be tough for the Defense Vikings to contain the 49ers quick pass and run heavy offense lead by Jimmy Garappolo, Deebo Samuel, and Elijah Mitchell.
The Vikings will be up against the odds as well as most experts predictions if they want to leave San Fransisco with a win this weekend. This game could have major playoff implications as both of these teams are fighting for one of the last couple of spots. The Vikings currently hold the 6th seed, while the 49ers are on the outside looking to fight their way in. Alongside the playoff race, it is always interesting to follow the storylines between Shanahan and both of the starting quarterbacks. I’m sure we’ll hear plenty about Shanahan and Kirk’s relationship, as well as Kirk v Jimmy comparisons during the game on Sunday.
The Odds
This weeks odds favor the home team as the Vikings come into this week 12 matchup as 3.5 underdogs. Take a look at each of the mainlines below:
- Spread: Vikings +3
- Moneyline: Vikings +150
- O/U: 49.5
The Public
Per the Action Network as of Sunday morning:
- 62% of public spread bets and 71% of public money is in support of the Vikings covering +3
- 55% of public O/U bets are on the Over
- 50% of public moneyline bets are on the 49ers (-167).
My Picks
I know that the experts have mostly chosen the 49ers and that the Vikings historically struggle in San Fransisco but I really think that the Vikings have a chance to come out with another win this weekend. Yes both teams come into this game hot, but I think the Vikings are hotter, winning 4 of their last 6 games and being in every game so far this season. The 49ers have also won 2 in a row coming into this game, with one of those being a home win against the LA Rams. That home win was their first of the season leaving them with a home record of 1-4. This win against the LA Rams was also their only win so far this season against a team that currently has a winning record.
I think that Vikings Offense is able to take care of Nick Bosa and the 49ers defense, and scores enough points to win in another close game. I think that Kirk continues to have an amazing season, Jefferson continues to show that he is an elite WR in this league and that Dalvin continues to heat up as the Vikings move onto 6-5. My pick: Vikings Moneyline +150. The safer pick is of course to take the Vikings with the points. This season the Vikings are 6-4 against the spread while the 49ers are 4-6. Let’s all cheer for a Vikings win and hope that this season of ups and downs continues to trend up! Skol Vikings!