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Adrian Peterson insists that his back injury is "no big deal", but those backing the Vikings this week as a -6 ½ favorite at online betting establishments such as Sportsbook.com are now beginning to squirm just a bit.
The Vikings running back said Thursday that his back injury is "not a big deal at all," meaning he should play against San Francisco this weekend. But if he doesn't?
While both teams sit at 2-0, the 49er's 2-0 record appears more impressive on the surface. They have beaten last year's NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals on the road during Week 1 and a Seattle Seahawks team that shut out the St. Louis Rams one week earlier. The Vikings, on the other hand, beat two of the worst teams in the league, Cleveland and Detroit, respectively, and they didn't exactly do it in the most convincing of fashions.
San Francisco's defense ranks 7th in the league. Even if Peterson ends up playing, it should be noted that he was held to just three yards on 14 carries the last time these two teams played one another.
Peterson has been limited in practice the last two days because of the injury. He rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown last week against Detroit, and leads the NFL in rushing heading into the Vikings' home opener against the 49ers.
"God willing, I will be out there playing," Peterson said. "Not a big deal at all."
The Vikings beat San Francisco in 2007 by 20 points, on the road no less. They have won 4 of the last 5 games in this series, all of those being blowouts.
Both sides are getting even action on the -6 ½ spread in this game. The 49ers are getting closer to 65 percent of the money line action, which would pay $230 for every $100 bet if San Francisco were to win outright.
Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
