Two highly skilled quarterbacks and their high caliber offenses meet in the NFC Championship Final, Sunday Jan 24, as the New Orleans Saints host the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings lead 20-7 S, including two wins over the Saints in the playoffs. NFL oddsmakers at SPORTSBOOK.com have the Saints as -3.5 point home favs over the Vikings with the over/under set at 52.5 points . Be sure to get your Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints 2010 NFC Championship Predictions in now at SPORTSBOOK.com
The Vikings key to winning this weekend is to protect QB Brett Favre and let him do his thing. His has many receivers at his disposal, but he mainly leaned heavily on WR Sidney Rice in the divisional round, but he could have some favorable matchups with TE Visanthe Shiancoe. The Vikings offense is currently ranked fifth best in the league while averaging the second most points per-game (29.4ppg). Their eighth ranked pass game will move the chains against the Saints 24th ranked pass defense. Between their top WR’s Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian and TE Visanthe Shiancoe they have a combined 29 TD’s during the regular season. The Saints kept Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald in check in the divisional round, but Rice is just as good, if not better. Covering Rice may be difficult, but they could use some of the same type of bracket- and double-coverage techniques on Rice, who is tall and long like Fitzgerald. Rice finished with six catches for 141 yards with three TD’s against Dallas. The Vikings 12th ranked ground game will be up against the Saints 21st ranked rush defense, as RB Adrian Peterson looks to step up his game. He had 26 carries for 63 yards with no TD against Dallas. He finished the regular season with 1,389 yards rushing and is their top scorer with 18 TD’s. Vikings DE’s Ray Edwards and Jared Allen will come after Brees, much like Dallas' DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer did. They’ll try to keep Brees from rolling out, but if he is able to have passing lanes in the pocket, he'll be fine. If Pat and Kevin Williams can get in his face, Brees could have problems seeing his targets . The Vikings defense is ranked sixth overall; 19th against the pass and they have the league’s second best rush defense that’ll look to shutdown the Saints RB Reggie Bush.
The Saints with QB Drew Brees and their league best offense are going to be tough to stop. Brees has many receivers to throw to and the resurgence of RB Reggie Bush is going to make for a two dimensional game. Their fourth ranked pass game will go up against the Vikings 19th ranked pass defense that constantly pressured the Cowboys last week. Minnesota didn't allow Dallas to hit any big plays, but WR Robert Meachem could emerge because Vikings defensive backs could be preoccupied with other primary threats (Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush). The Saints have the league’s sixth best ground game and Reggie Bush will be up against the Vikings second ranked rush defense. Reggie Bush showed toughness and outright star potential against the Cardinals. That's the sort of game-breaking ability many had been waiting to see from Bush. The bye week allowed him to heal up some of the nicks that always seem to be bothering him, which could be why he played like he did against Arizona. New Orleans will get Bush the ball early to see if he is in the frame of mind to do similar damage . Bush gained confidence early when he bowled over sinewy Arizona cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Vikings have some of the surest and most physical tacklers in the NFL on defense and on their coverage teams. If Bush plans to blow up, he better blow up with a heightened sense of purpose.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Vikings are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
- Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
- Saints are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Saints are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0.
- Vikings are 4-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
- Vikings are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. NFC.
- Saints are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Saints are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 vs. NFC.
Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints
When: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 6:40 PM ET
Line: SPORTSBOOK.com
Pick: Minnesota +3.5
Point-Spreads.com Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints 2010 NFC Championship Predictions
The Bottom Line: Have faith in the purple people eaters and their defense. Be sure to get your Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints 2010 NFC Championship Predictions in now at SPORTSBOOK.com and Get a 50% Deposit Bonus and $25 Free Bet at Sportsbook.com, simply use promo code WIN100 and start winning today!
