Monday Night Football Betting Odds: Vikings vs. 49ers
Carrie Stroup here with your Monday Night Football betting odds for the Vikings vs. 49ers game.
Sportsbook.ag Line: Minnesota -2.5, Total: 41.5
Monday’s nightcap will feature the return of Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson after a one-year suspension and 49ers All-Pro LB NaVorro Bowman, playing for the first time since the 2013 NFC Championship.
To say a lot has changed since Peterson and Bowman last suited up for a meaningful game is an understatement. Peterson played in the 2014 season opener at St. Louis, racking up a pedestrian 75 rushing yards in the 34-6 victory. Bowman’s last game, a heart-breaking 23-17 loss in the 2013 NFC Championship against hated rival Seattle, ended with Bowman having a lot more than just a broken heart. Little did Bowman know that when he recovered from his torn ACL suffered that day, he would eventually return to a thinned-out defense with just a pair of starters left on that once formidable defensive unit. He also didn't think his head coach Jim Harbaugh would be run out of town and replaced by little-known Jim Tomsula.
The 49ers defense was so good at its peak, that if the offense could muster a couple of touchdowns, the game was all but finished. In fact, in the last two years, San Francisco is 8-0 ATS when scoring just 22-to-28 points against the opposition. For Minnesota, there’s a lot of room for improvement as its offense was held to 21 points or less 10 times last season. Minnesota is 35-60 ATS all-time when scoring 15-to-21 points, but Peterson will certainly boost these numbers as long as he's healthy.
Since 1992, the Niners have a mark of 29-10 ATS when playing on Monday night. The clubs have met in San Francisco six times since 1992, with the 49ers holding a 5-1 SU edge (4-2 ATS).
Adrian Peterson’s Vikings are a team on the rise with second-year QB Teddy Bridgewater ready for a breakout season under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Norv Turner. The addition of former Steelers/Dolphins deep threat, WR Mike Wallace, combined with the return of Peterson should equal a dramatic increase in production for Bridgewater and an offense that was ranked 27th in 2014. The health of TE Kyle Rudoloph will also be a determining factor in the QB’s development and the team’s success. Rudolph has missed half of each of the last two seasons after what looked to be a breakout 2012 campaign in which he found the end zone nine times.
Bridgewater will need all hands on deck against what is still a legitimate 49ers front seven. In 2014, Minnesota threw an NFC-low 17 touchdowns while surrendering 51 sacks, which was the fifth-most in the NFL. While Bridgewater and the young Vikings have never faced San Francisco, Peterson has never lost to the 49ers in three career meetings despite sporting some pretty paltry numbers of zero rushing TD and 3.0 YPC, his lowest against any opponent.
In the last meeting between these two clubs on Sept. 23, 2012, it was Christian Ponder’s big day that propelled the Vikings to victory. Ponder connected on a pair of scores to TE Kyle Rudolph as well as running in a third touchdown en route to a 24-13 win over the eventual NFC Champs.
Both teams have undergone massive changes in the three years since that meeting including both head coaches being swapped out. Former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer took the reigns last season and turned a 5-10-1 ballclub with Peterson into a 7-9 squad without him. Zimmer feels ready to compete in the tough NFC North division. His defensive unit was more than adequate through the air in 2014, ranking sixth in the NFL in passing defense.
Unfortunately for 49ers fans, nobody would consider Colin Kaepernick to be a polished passing quarterback, so the 49ers will likely try to lean on the running game as they have in the past. Carlos Hyde enters his first season as an NFL starter out of Ohio State, and with Frank Gore’s departure, Hyde will have no shortage of opportunities to prove his worth. Rugby star RB Jarryd Hayne had a big preseason by the bay and will likely see a fair amount of action with Kendall Hunter being placed on IR. New WR Torrey Smith (probable – knee) came over from Baltimore to join Anquan Boldin on the outside while TE Vernon Davis will be roaming the middle as usual.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
