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NFL Divisional Playoffs
Top 100 NFL Fantasy Players According to Our Statistics ($9.95)
Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers
by Kris Lazaro
12/8/07
The struggling San Francisco 49ers host the surging Minnesota Vikings this Sunday as a 9 point home underdog. The line opened up at Minnesota –7, but with heavy betting action, the line has moved to its current position. Eastern teams that play at 1:00 Pacific time usually do not fare well, thus, backing the Vikings at this steep number may be a true gamble.
The Vikings come into this match up off a 3 game winning streak. Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has been an efficient ball thrower, even though his numbers do not support it. The Vikings main offensive strength, though, is in their running game, headed by superstar Adrian Peterson. Against a questionable defense in San Francisco, the Vikings should have a field day on Sunday. Minnesota has recently enjoyed an offensive explosion in their last few games: they have scored 29, 41, and 42 points in their last 3 outings, and against a bad defense, they should continue to roll.
San Francisco needs to find their identity. After Alex Smith was sidelined with a shoulder injury in mid-November, back up quarterback Trent Dilfer leads an offense that is in disarray. They are averaging a paltry 13.7 points a game and is one of the leagues worst offensive teams. The only thing going for the Niners is their running game, led by Frank Gore. Unfortunately, Gore will be keyed on in this game, as the Viking rush defense is one of the league’s best, giving up only 70.2 yards on the ground.
The author sees an ugly game developing. Both teams will struggle on offense early on, but with the Vikings running game in full effect, the Niners defense will tire out. They will go into the half down a few scores and will eventually fall to the Vikings by more than 3 touchdowns. This gets ugly late.
Game prediction: 33-7 Minnesota.
