Week 9 of Sunday Night Football features a matchup between the Vikings and the Colts
Sunday Night Football, Week 9. Tonight we have the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings are 5.5 point home favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The 4-4 Indianapolis Colts come into this game off a 23 – 20 loss to the Houston Texans. After that loss the Colts replaced struggling young quarterback Anthony Richardson in the starting lineup with old pro Joe Flacco. The Colts have been bad defensively, ranking 28th in the NFL in yards allowed, 25th in first downs allowed, 24th in passing yards allowed and 30th in rushing yards allowed. On offense they have had success running the ball with Jonathan Taylor, but their passing game suffered under the erratic Anthony Richardson.
The 5-2 Minnesota Vikings come into this game losers of two straight games after starting the season with five straight victories. The Vikings defense has been a problem of late, surrendering 30+ points in back-to-back losses. On the year the Vikings have had great success stopping the run, ranking 3rd in the NFL in rushing yards allowed. They have struggled against the pass, ranking 30th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. The Vikings defense has really shined turning the ball over, forcing 15 turnovers, good for 2nd in the NFL. On offense the Vikings have been mediocre, ranking 17th in passing yards gained and 22nd in rushing yards. There is good reason to believe that the Vikings live and die by the turnover. They have yet to win a game this year in which the defense did not force multiple turnovers.
The Vikings have been the better team so far this year and they have home field advantage. The Colts have just one road win this season, over the lowly Tennessee Titans. While Joe Flacco should get the passing game going for the Colts, he is immobile and susceptible to pressure. The Vikings bring more pressure than just about any team in the NFL. I expect the Vikings to put a lot of pressure on Flacco and force multiple turnovers. I’m taking the Vikings to win this game at home against the Colts. If you bet, good luck to you, and please consider using our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.