Minnesota Vikings vs Kansas City Chiefs Betting Preview
The defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night in the final preseason affair for both teams. The Chiefs have won their first two preseason games, while Minnesota has dropped both. Kick-off is set for 8:00pm EST at Arrowhead Stadium. You can catch the game on the NFL Network or DAZN.
The Chiefs look to complete not only a perfect preseason in 2021 but possibly go undefeated in the regular season as well. Their same core is back that made the Super Bowl two years in a row, and Kansas City only lost two games during the regular season last year.
When it comes to the NFL odds, Kansas City is favored at -200, and Minnesota is the underdog at +170. The Chiefs are four-point favorites at -115. The total points for this game is set at 38.
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Look For Mahomes To Let It Fly In This Game
Patrick Mahomes has had an incredible NFL career thus far, with an MVP and Super Bowl trophy to his name in only three years of service. Mahomes only attempted four passes in his first exhibition game but was on the field for 33 snaps against the Cardinals last week. Mahomes showed a bit of rust, completing only 10/18 passes for 78 yards and an interception.
Minnesota is without star linebacker Anthony Barr and starting safety Xavier Woods in this one, so Kansas City’s first-string offense should be able to put up points quite easily in the first half. Top stars like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce haven’t been heavily involved yet, so look for them to get more snaps in this regular-season dress rehearsal.
With the loss of Sammy Watkins to free agency, speedy receiver Mecole Hardman is expected to breakout in 2021-2022, and we could see Andy Reid draw up some big plays to the former Georgia Bulldog.
Defensively, Steve Spagnuolo’s defense will most likely be without defensive ends Frank Clark and Alex Okafor, as both are questionable with hamstring injuries.
Can Vikings Bounce Back This Season?
Mike Zimmer’s team had a disappointing 2020-2021 campaign, going 7-9 and missing out on the playoffs after a 10-6 season the year prior.
The defense was among the league’s worst, but the offense still is very efficient. Kirk Cousins always ranks amongst the best in completion percentage and has two fantastic targets in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Dalvin Cook was the second-best halfback in the NFL last season, trailing behind Derrick Henry in rushing yards.
Both Jefferson and Thielen are ruled out for Friday’s game, so Cook could get a lot of looks against the Chiefs. Backup running back Alexander Mattison is also questionable for Minnesota’s final preseason tilt.
The Pick
Although the possibility of a backdoor cover is frequent in NFL preseason football, Kansas City is going to have their starters playing in the first half and should dismantle a beat-up Vikings club that doesn’t have any experienced quarterbacks taking the field after Kirk Cousins.
Mahomes should give Kansas City a comfortable lead heading into halftime, and Chad Henne should be able to handle the Chiefs’ offense well enough in the second half to come out with a cover for bettors.
Take the Kansas City Chiefs -4 on the spread! For the best odds, head on over to BetUS, as they’re always among the most generous Online Sportsbooks!
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