Daily Norseman
The Minnesota Vikings will return home in Week 2 for their first meaningful home game at U.S. Bank Stadium since late December when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. According to the folks who set the betting lines, they’re expected to continue their winning ways.
Our friends at the FanDuel Sportsbook have installed the Vikings as a 4.5-point favorite over the Falcons for their Week 2 matchup in Minneapolis. The over/under for points currently rests at 45.5.
Both of these teams had games decided by three points in their season openers. The Vikings, as we all saw, put together a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback at Soldier Field, as they took down the Chicago Bears by a final score of 27-24 at Soldier Field. The Falcons, on the other hand watched a 44-yard field goal attempt from Younghoe Koo sail wide to the right with time running out as they settled for a 23-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Atlanta.
This will be another matchup between quarterbacks from the NFL Draft Class of 2024. After he knocked off #1 overall pick Caleb Williams to start the season, J.J. McCarthy will hope to help the Vikings continue their winning ways against Michael Penix Jr, who went at #8 overall in that same draft class. Penix played a solid game against the Buccaneers, throwing for just shy of 300 yards and not turning the ball over, but it wasn’t enough for a Week 1 win.
The Vikings will hope for a more balanced performance from McCarthy in this contest, to be certain. He looked pretty rough through the first three quarters against the Bears, including throwing an interception that turned into a 74-yard pick-six to give Chicago an 11-point lead in the third quarter. However, he came roaring back in the final quarter, generating three touchdowns in helping the purple pull off the spectacular come-from-behind win.
What do you think of the line for Sunday night, folks? I think we can all agree that the Vikings should be favored, but does the number seem about right? Let us know what you think!
