Patriots vs. Vikings Odds: Can Minnesota Beat New England Without Peterson?

The Patriots vs. Vikings betting odds had New England as a -5.5 road favorite and seeing more action than any other NFL side this week.

The line had opened at New England -3.5 before it was announced Friday that star running back Adrian Peterson had been indicted for child endangerment in Texas and was swiftly deactivated by Minnesota.

But the Vikings were starting to look like this season’s sleepers with a 4-0 record in the preseason and a romp of the Rams on the road in Week 1.   The question remains: Can they win without Peterson, especially against the mighty New England Patriots?

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It would behoove the Patriots to keep the running portion of their playbook within an arm’s length  against the Vikings, suggests Jeff Lowe of the Boston Herald.

He added:

The inability to run impacted Tom Brady and the passing game, as Cameron Wake and an already aggressive front four teed off without regard for the run game. Ditto for the back seven that fielded a full cast of backup linebackers, which didn’t need to worry about play-action. As a result, Brady was 10-of-27 for 62 yards with four sacks after the break.

It’s difficult to know how stout the Vikings run stuffers truly are after a week in which they easily got past the Rams, who rushed 22 times for 72 yards in the 34-6 loss. Plus, the Vikings didn’t have much to fret in the form of quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Austin Davis, so they could gear up against the ground game.

Aside from the obvious loss of Peterson, the Patriots will also have an edge coming into Minnesota as they are 10-0 Straight Up vs. NFC North teams.   For those looking to bet the money line, $22 would be required to win/profit $10 with an outright New England win.

There’s another reason to stay clear of the spread in this game where New England is concerned.  They are just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games on the road.

- Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com