The Minnesota Vikings will look to claim their first NFC North divisional crown since 2009 when they take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football as 3.5-point betting underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The 10-5 Vikings are coming off their second consecutive straight-up win, a decisive 49-17 victory over the New York Giants that clinched their first playoff berth since 2012.
Strong play on the road has powered Minnesota’s revival, with the club posting four SU wins in their past five contests ahead of Sunday night’s Vikings vs. Packers betting matchup at Lambeau Field.
But while the Vikings have dominated teams with losing records, outscoring the Giants and Chicago Bears by a combined 87-34 margin over the past two weeks, they have struggled against playoff-bound teams this season, going 1-4 SU and picking up their sole victory in a 16-10 win over Kansas City that capped the Chiefs’ early-season five-game SU losing skid.
The Packers limp home for their season finale after taking a 38-8 beating from the Arizona Cardinals last weekend. The loss ended a three-game SU win streak, and also handed Green Bay just their second loss against the spread in their last six games according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
Green Bay has held opponents to just 14 points per game in their last three at Lambeau. However, they have also struggled to generate offense, failing to crack 300 total yards in each of their last two, while pivot Aaron Rodgers has tossed under 220 passing yards in five of his last six, throwing interceptions in four of his last five outings.
The Packers have been a strong bet at home since the beginning of last season, posting a 14-2 SU record in 16 contests, 10-5-1 ATS, and have dominated the division rival Vikings over the past five years, going 10-1-1 SU in their past 12 overall, and 8-1-1 SU in their last 10 meetings at Lambeau, 7-3 ATS.
A win by the Packers on Sunday sets the stage for a possible rematch between the two clubs on Wild Card Weekend.
A victory by Green Bay gives the Packers their fifth straight division title and the No. 3 playoff seed, while a Vikings loss combined with a Seattle Seahawks win over the Arizona Cardinals drops Minnesota to the No. 6 seed.
A Seahawks loss to Arizona means that the loser of Sunday night’s clash will visit the NFC East champion Washington Redskins on Wild Card Weekend, with Seattle visiting the winner.