The Minnesota Vikings hope to keep their NFL Picks slim playoff hopes alive in Week 17 when they travel to the stumbling Denver Broncos. After five straight wins gave the Minnesota Vikings a chance to control their own destiny a loss last week put their playoff hopes into another team's hands. Minnesota needs to beat Denver and hope that Washington loses to Dallas this week. The Vikings will have to play a lot better this week than last as they fell behind 25-0 early to the Redskins. QB Tarvaris Jackson was 25 for 41 for 220 yards and one touchdown but threw two interceptions. Rookie sensation RB Adrian Peterson wasn’t any factor in the game as he struggled for the third straight game rushing for only 27 yards on nine carries. The Minnesota defense ranked only 19th in total yards given up hopes it can stop a Denver offense that ranks 9th in yards gained. The Vikings have been listed as a -3 point favorite on the road by Bodog.com
For the second year in a row the Denver Broncos have missed the playoffs and to make matters worse Denver will end with its worst season since it finished 6-10 in 1999, and only its second losing season in the 13-year Mike Shanahan reign. The Broncos had been the only team in the league with a .500 record or better in every season since 2000. Although the Denver offense comes in ranked 9th in total yards they have really struggled recently managing only 16 total points in their last two games. QB Jay Cutler is coming off a horrible game where he was sacked four times, lost a fumble, threw two interceptions and completed only 14-of-32 passes for 155 yards in. If there is any hope for the Broncos in this one it is the fact that Cutler has played much better at home throwing for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions with a 69.5 completion percentage.
Minnesota comes into this one with a winning record and that is good for Denver backers as they have done well at home versus winning teams going 36-19 ATS. The total could be worth consideration as Minnesota is 25-12 OVER against teams yielding 4.5 yards per rush while Denver is 34-12 OVER versus teams rushing for more than 130 yards per game.
Minnesota must win but will Denver muster enough pride in their lost season to spoil that?
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