Buccaneers at Vikings Betting Pick: Week 1

This week 1 NFL matchup between the Vikings and Buccaneers takes place on Sunday, September 10th at 1:00 ET. The Vikings will host the Buccaneers at U.S. Bank Stadium with the game being televised on CBS.

Minnesota heads into this NFC matchup as the 6 point favorite to come away with the win. Does this mean they are a lock to win? Read on to get my take on this matchup.

Betting Odds for Vikings vs. Buccaneers

Spread: Buccaneers +6 | Vikings -6
Total: 45.5
MoneyLine: Buccaneers +204 | Vikings -262

Why You Should Bet on the Vikings

Coming off a 13-4 season and a loss in the Wild Card round, the Vikings will be looking for a deeper playoff run this season. In the NFC-North, the Vikings were 4-2 and finished 1st in the standings. On the road, Minnesota was 5-3 compared to 8-2 at home.

The Vikings are coming off a season in which they went 7-10-1 vs. the spread and had an over/under record of 12-6. Minnesota’s average scoring margin for the season was -0.6 points per game with their games averaging a combined 50.3 points.

Last season, Kirk Cousins completed 65.9% of his passes for a total of 4547 yards. For the season, he finished 4th among QB’s in passing yards and 4th in touchdowns (29). Cousins’ passer rating for the season was 92.5 (24th).

In the backfield, the Vikings are welcoming back Alexander Mattison who is the team’s top returning running back in terms of attempts and is coming off a season in which he finished with 283 rushing yards and averaged 3 yards per attempt. Mattison is entering his 5th season in the league.

When looking at the team’s wide receiver group, the Vikings are returning last year’s two most productive players. Justin Jefferson caught 128 balls for 1809 yards last season. T.J. Hockenson finished with 914 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Why You Should Bet on the Buccaneers

Looking back to last season, the Buccaneers finished with a record of 8-9 and lost a Wild-Card round matchup with the Cowboys (31-14). Tampa Bay’s road record last year was 3-5 and 5-5 at home. In the NFC-South, the Buccaneers finished 1st while going 4-2 in games within their division.

Against the spread, the Buccaneers went 4-13-1 last season. Tampa Bay was favored in 14 of their 18 games last season. As the favorite, they went 8-6 straight up and 4-9-1 against the spread. The Buccaneers finished with an over/under mark of 6-12.

Baker Mayfield comes into the season as the Buccaneers starting quarterback. Last season he threw for 2163 yards on a completion percentage of 60.0%. Overall he threw 10 touchdowns compared to 8 interceptions.

In the backfield, the Buccaneers are welcoming back Rachaad White who is the team’s top returning running back in terms of attempts and is coming off a season in which he finished with 481 rushing yards and averaged 3 yards per attempt. White is entering his 2nd season in the league.

When looking at the team’s wide receiver group, the Buccaneers are returning last year’s two most productive players. Mike Evans caught 77 balls for 1124 yards last season. Chris Godwin finished with 1023 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Final Prediction & Where To Bet

Since the lines have opened, the Vikings have moved from -7 point favorites to their current line of -6 (-110). The Buccaneers are currently +6 (-110) point underdogs on the road.

My point-spread pick for this Buccaneers vs. Vikings matchup is to take the Buccaneers to cover on the road. As of now, they are 6-point underdogs and I expect them to cover at this number.

BetByState Expert Pick: Buccaneers +6

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