Sunday Night Football Odds: Vikings vs. Packers Picks & Prediction
SNF Odds: Vikings vs. Packers
| Vikings Odds | +13.5 |
| Packers Odds | -13.5 |
| Over/Under | 45.5 |
| Date | Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022 |
| Time | 8:20 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC |
The Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers will engage in a division showdown on Sunday Night Football in Week 17 at Lambeau Field. Following 15 consecutive starts to begin the season, Kirk Cousins will be on the sidelines this evening after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. The Vikings will also be without wide receiver Adam Thielen, who is out for the season after re-aggravating an ankle injury in Week 16.
Oddsmakers are anticipating the health issues for the Vikings being too much to overcome in this one, pricing Green Bay as a heavy 13.5-point favorite on the spread at online sportsbooks Now let’s look at each team before locking in our Sunday Night Football pick.
Vikings +13.5
In place of Cousins, Head Coach Mike Zimmer announced that Sean Mannion will start for the Vikings. In his career, Mannion has completed 45-of-74 pass attempts for 384 yards, throwing zero touchdowns and three interceptions. Considering the significant talent drop-off at the quarterback position, it is likely that Minnesota will feature a heavy dose of Dalvin Cook and the run game this evening. Cook could be a problem for a Green Bay defense that allowed the Cleveland Browns to run for 219 yards and 8.8 yards-per-carry last Sunday.
On top of the aforementioned offensive injuries that Minnesota is facing, they are decimated on defense. Throughout the course of the year, this unit has lost both Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffin. Defensive tackle Michael Pierce will be out for this contest, leaving the Vikings defensive line extremely vulnerable. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Chargers have allowed more yards-per-carry this fall. It is going to be difficult for this group to stop Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon tonight. The Vikings have also been extremely exploitable through the air–allowing 7.5 yards-per-attempt, which ranks 26th in the NFL. A date with the potential league MVP is unlikely to improve those numbers.
Packers -13.5
Green Bay enters action on Sunday in control of their own destiny towards the top seed in the NFC playoffs. Aaron Rodgers has been sensational in recent weeks, totaling 14 touchdowns against zero interceptions in his last five games. When Rodgers faced this Vikings defense in November, he threw four touchdowns and totaled 385 passing yards. He is likely to have another big game tonight. The Packers continue to deal with a number of injuries to key players on the offensive line, but that has not slowed this offense, as they have averaged 33.4 points per game since Week 11.
The Packers’ run defense has been atrocious over their last three games, allowing 166.3 yards per game on the ground, including a league-worst 6.7 yards per carry, per Bill Huber. Green Bay has been better against the pass this fall. Rasul Douglas and Adrian Amos have been outstanding in the secondary. Green Bay is allowing the fifth-fewest yards-per-attempt in 2021, and has held opposing quarterbacks to a poor 84.6 passer rating. Marrion will have his work cut out for him this evening.
Sunday Night Football Prediction
Per EdgHouse, the Packers are 2-0 ATS this season when favored by double-digits, having defeated the Detroit Lions by 18 points and the Chicago Bears by 15 points in such situations. Minnesota is 5-2 ATS as an underdog in 2021, but this will be the first game this season in which Kirk Cousins will not be under center. Instead of playing a side in this spot, bettors should instead turn their attention to the total. Even if both of these teams opt for a run-heavy approach on Sunday Night Football, it is likely that both teams will be able to move the chains with relative ease. Take the over.
PICK: Over 41.5 (-110)
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