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The Atlanta Falcons come into Sunday's game at the .500 mark but in the weak NFC South where they are tied for first place with the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Minnesota is now down one game from Detroit in a very good NFC North division that features Green Bay in third place with a respectable 9-4 record Straight Up.
We were getting a line of Vikings -6 Saturday afternoon. BetAmapola features some of the highest limits in the industry here.
Line Analysis
The line on this game has moved from Vikings -4 to -6 as of Saturday. The Sagarin line is 6.43, thus indicating an underlay, even at the -6.
Underlays where the number is below 7 only slightly favor the dog but our model does not provide any input within the current line range unless the number hits 6.5.
Falcons Key Player to Watch
QB Kirk Cousins returns to his former home in Minnesota, where he played the past six seasons, in perhaps the worst slump of his career. He matched his career high by throwing four interceptions against the Chargers. Cousins has six interceptions with no touchdowns over Atlanta’s three-game losing streak that has erased a comfortable lead in the NFC South and forged a tie for first place with Tampa Bay. Cousins' struggles have raised questions about whether it's time for first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. to play, but coach Raheem Morris has been publicly adamant in his support of Cousins.
Vikings Player to Watch
CB Byron Murphy is tied for third in the NFL with a career-high five interceptions. He'll be even more vital in coverage for the Vikings if CB Stephon Gilmore can't play this week. Murphy has eight interceptions in two seasons with the Vikings after totaling five picks in four years with the Cardinals.
Key Matchup
Falcons DBs vs. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson. Both of Atlanta's safeties, Jessie Bates and Justin Simmons, were Pro Bowl picks last season. The Falcons are likely to use them liberally to help bracket Jefferson, who despite a steady stream of double teams and over-the-top coverage from opponents all season has still managed to rank second in the league with 1,038 yards.
