How much will the expected return of wide receiver Justin Jefferson mean to the Minnesota Vikings, as they make a late season push to a playoff appearance? And can the Las Vegas Raiders regroup — again — and get back into playoff contention?
Vikings vs. Raiders Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Vikings -3
- Moneyline: Vikings (-162), Raiders (+136)
- Over/Under: 40
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. ET
- Location: Allegiant Stadium
- Channel: CBS or FOX
Vikings vs. Raiders Prediction
The return of arguably the league’s No. 1 receiver could not have come at a better time for the Vikings, who have seen their offense struggle in the last couple of weeks. After winning the first five games without Jefferson, Minnesota has lost two in a row, scoring 30 total points in those games.
The passing attack was miserable over those two games as well, with an average of 189.5 passing yards per game, two touchdown passes, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 59.3.
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Joshua Dobbs, who wasn’t even on the roster when Jefferson got hurt, has seen his production decline of his four games with the Vikings. And in that miserable loss to the Bears on Monday night before the bye week, Dobbs threw four interceptions and finished with a passer rating of 54.3, his lowest ever in a game that he had at least 10 attempts.
While the attention will no doubt be on Jefferson, it could be the Vikings’ defense that makes the difference in this game. Although they rank 18th in pass defense (allowing 224.3 passing yards per game), the Vikings have held half of their 12 opponents under 200 yards passing.
Although it was in a losing effort, Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell had his best game as a pro, completing nearly 70% of his passes (69.7%) and throwing for 248 yards with a touchdown, no interceptions, and a career-high passer rating of 101.6.
O’Connell has also done a good job of avoiding the sack. In his first career start back in Week 4, he was sacked seven times by the Los Angelese Chargers. But over his last four starts he has been sacked six times total.
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Although the Raiders can’t get too many points on the scoreboards — they’ve been held under 20 points in five of their last six games — they have had some positive signs. The running game, which was held under 100 yards in each of their eight games, has gained at least 120 yards in three of the last four games.
Injury-wise, the big news in this game is Jefferson not carrying an injury designation for this contest after missing the last seven games.
For the Raiders, offensive tackle Kolton Miller will miss this game with his lingering shoulder problem. And edge rusher Maxx Crosby (knee) is listed as questionable, but he is expected to play Sunday.
The Raiders have a couple of contradicting betting trends, so choose what you wish to believe. They are 4-2 vs. the spread at home but 2-4 vs. the spread following a straight-up loss.
Minnesota, which has the outcome decided by one score (eight points or fewer) in 11 of its 12 games, is 5-0-1 against the spread on the road.
The return of Jefferson is a welcomed sight, no doubt. And I think it will make a difference in helping the Vikings get back over the .500 mark for the season.
Take the Vikings and give the field goal spread.
Best Bet: Vikings -3 (-108 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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