The Minnesota Vikings looked so good entering the 2005-2006 NFL season, Gambling911 submitted a press release encouraging its readers to carefully consider the Minnesota Vikings 2006 Super Bowl odds for a possible windfall

Gambling911.com sent out a press release prior to the season start proclaiming Minnesota odds to win the 2006 Super Bowl among the best value. 

Gambling911.com sees tremendous value in taking advantage
of the Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl odds. A number of experts have suggested this is the team to beat. Oddsmakers at MVP Sportsbook have the Vikings listed with +1250 payout odds. In other words a$100 bet pays out $1250 should the Vikings win while a $10 bet would pay $125.

Little did we know that the Vikings would get off to such a hideous start.  Adding fuel to the fire of an already decimated team, Minnesota had been implicated in a notorious sex cruise controversy.  Boat crew members told authorities that several women who had sex with players Oct. 6 on two boats had been flown in from out of state.  The Minnesota Vikings 2006 Super Bowl odds were practically zero at this point, with the club all but left for dead.

The Vikings entered Week 15 having won 6 straight and could be considered among the more dangerous franchises out there. 

"I think we're jelling," said cornerback Brian Williams. "Everybody's just putting it together and figuring out what our defense is all about."

Koren Robinson, Michael Bennett and Ciatrick Fason all scored touchdowns on the ground for the Vikings in their Week 14 game against St. Louis.   The Vikings have been conservative and efficient during their turnaround, all with Johnson starting for the injured Duante Culpepper at quarterback.

Johnson was 16-for-25 for 146 yards, once again avoiding the costly mistakes that so plagued Culpepper early in the season.

With the Bears losing in Week 14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the final game against Chicago at Minnesota could have had major implications.  But in Week 15, the Steelers went 2-0, beating the Vikings and diminishing their chances of a post season run. 

After Week 4, with the Chicago Bears (9-4) losing at Pittsburgh, the Vikings (8-5) pulled within one game of the division lead in a season that appeared lost after a 2-5 start.

"It is hard not to look ahead," Robinson said. "You just have to stay focused and understand that if we don't handle our business, regardless of what the Bears do, we're going to miss the playoffs."

The Vikings still have a slim chance of clinching a wild card spot. 

Minnesota's odds of winning a Super Bowl this year were set at 125 to 1 going into Week 12.  Chicago, now considered a major playoff contender with its choking defense, was listed with odds of 30-1 that same week.  Odds have continued to be adjusted since that time.

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Tyrone Black, www.gambling911.com

Originally published December 11, 2005 9:18pm EST
Revised December 18, 2005 9:07 pm EST