By Richard Gardner | Sportsbook Manager
NFL bettors rejoice – the regular season is now upon us.
On Thursday evening, things will kick off in style with a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game. The Minnesota Vikings (+6, -115) will travel to the Superdome to take on last year’s Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints (-6, -105).
To the surprise of nobody, the Bodog online sportsbook has seen plenty of handle coming in on this one. Aside from being the first game of the year, there are intriguing storylines aplenty: Brett Favre’s return to the purple-and-gold, New Orleans’ first defense of their world championship and some key Vikings injuries that could play a major factor throughout the year.
The Saints opened as the heavies for this contest and currently sit as six-point favorites for Thursday night. The betting public is leaning on the Saints, no doubt in response to New Orleans’ dominance at home last year – the Saints went 6-2 at the Superdome and racked up huge wins over playoff teams like the New York Jets (24-10) and the New England Patriots (38-17). Oh, and it’s quite clear nobody has forgotten how strong the Saints were out of the gate last year, winning their first 13 games. New Orleans is healthy and returns most of the Super Bowl-winning roster from a year ago. There aren’t many questions marks surrounding this team.
There are a lot of questions facing the Vikings (+6, -115) as they open the 2010 campaign, however. No. 1 wide receiver Sidney Rice will be gone for at least half the season after undergoing hip surgery and the players responsible for filling the void – Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, Greg Camarillo and Greg Lewis – don’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence. Sure, all-world RB Adrian Peterson is still in the mix, but sharps are worried that his former trusty backup – Chester Taylor, now with the Chicago Bears – will be a bigger loss than many expect. Taylor was a nice safety valve for Favre a year ago, catching 44 passes and giving the Vikings a real threat on third-down situations.
The one thing the betting public has been on the fence about? That six-point spread. Most NFL bettors remember that, in last year’s NFC Championship game, the Vikings largely outplayed the Saints and were most unfortunate to drop a three-point decision. (The Vikings did come in as a four-point dog and covered the spread, remember). Minnesota was an ATS darling in the early parts of last season, covering four of its first five games, and showed an ability to keep games close with its outstanding defense. And that’s the real wildcard for betting on this game: defense. The Viking front seven is one of the best in football and, with pass-rush extraordinaire Jared Allen, can really disrupt a timing-based pass attack like the one in New Orleans.
All in all, it promises to be one outstanding game on Thursday night when these two NFC giants throw down to open the 2010 season. If you’re looking to get in on the action, be a player and do it at Bodog.
