Get fired up for NFL Week 14 as we peek at this Sunday's Falcons vs. Vikings game. Our betting preview includes a best bet for December 8th! Will Kirk Cousins get revenge on his former team? Find out below!
Online sportsbooks opened this line at Minnesota -4.5 on the look-ahead price. A tad bit of sharp money has come in on the Vikings to push the line to Minnesota -5 at most sports betting apps. This move isn't much of a surprise since Atlanta looked so terrible last week against the Chargers.
Much like the side, the total for this game has also seen just half a point of movement. The line opened at 46 but has since been bet down to 45.5 at most shops. Under bettors are hoping that this Falcons offense stays in hibernation.
Atlanta started the season on a high note, but they've come back down to earth recently. A sputtering offense has led to three straight losses against the likes of the Saints, Broncos, and Chargers. Kirk Cousins threw 4 interceptions last week against the Chargers, so he'll have to play better if Atlanta wants to knock off Minnesota on the road.
Even with that poor performance, Cousins is still having a pretty good year. He's thrown for 3,052 yards and 17 TDs, six of which have gone to Drake London. Bijan Robinson continues to be the Swiss Army knife of the offense, as he's a threat out of the backfield and in the passing game.
The Falcons secondary has done a good job of limiting big plays, as they rank 10th in yards per pass allowed. However, this unit has to do a better job of rushing the passer, as they rank dead last in sack rate. Linebacker Kaden Ellis leads the team with 103 tackles.
It's amazing what Kevin O'Connell has done with Sam Darnold this season. The former USC star is having his best year ever as a pro QB and he's a big reason why the Vikings are 10-2. Darnold led Minnesota to a big comeback win over Arizona last week to give his squad 5 victories in a row.
What's incredible about Darnold is that he's done well despite much help from his running game. Aaron Jones has a decent stat line, but Minny ranks just 26th in yards per rush gained. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison continue to be a dangerous 1-2 punch at the wideout position.
Brian Flores is reminding the NFL world that he's still one heck of a defensive coordinator. The Vikings rank 5th in points per game allowed and 1st in rushing yards allowed per game. Jonathan Greenard leads Minnesota with 10 sacks in 2024.
ATL at MIN: 1:00 PM EST
There have been rumblings that Kirk Cousins isn't 100% healthy, but I think he's just going through a rough patch with his new team. He'll be fired up to beat his new team and atone for his awful performance against the Chargers last week. I can see Cousins hooking up with Drake London and Darnell Mooney on several deep shots.
The Atlanta defense scares me, but their pass rush looked much better in last week's game. The Falcons sacked Justin Herbert 5 times in that game, so maybe they're peaking at just the right time for us. Give me the points with the Dirty Birds in a great bounce-back spot!
Prediction: Vikings 23 - Falcons 21