The The San Francisco 49ers (1-0) face their second straight NFC North opponent when the travel to face the Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at 7 p.m. ET Saturday at US Bank Stadium. The game will only be televised in the local markets. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the 49ers vs. Vikings odds, and make our best NFL picks, predictions and bets.
The 49ers won their preseason opener against Green Bay despite being outgained 437 yards to 328. Three Jordan Love interceptions helped make up for that disparity. It will be a homecoming for Minnesota native Trey Lance, who played his high school ball in Minnesota and his college ball at North Dakota State.
The Vikings were the last team to play their 1st preseason game — a 26-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday. If there was any intention of trotting out the starters in that game, that ended when QB Kirk Cousins was sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19 a 2nd time. While the starters will likely get a look Saturday, it may well be just a cameo appearance since all eyes in Minnesota are focused on a Week 1 home matchup with Green Bay that carries much more importance.
Whenever a new regime comes to an organization, many of them put a lot of stock in making an impression in the preseason. The Vikings and new coach Kevin O’Connell may be an exception to that rule. Minnesota is in salary cap hell, so O’Connell is inheriting a veteran roster that isn’t going anywhere, so the amount of playing time the veterans see will likely be limited — even in front of the home fans.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6 a.m. ET.
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To be honest, I was a little stunned when I saw this money line (and point spread). San Francisco has been one of the most successful preseason teams in the league, posting a 6-2 record in their last 8 preseason games. On the flip side, the Vikings are 0-5 in their last 5 preseason games.
The difference-maker here is that 49ers have turned the offense over to Lance and may be more in need of getting a longer look with him in live situations. You don’t put out your biggest franchise investment in years without playing the starting offensive line and most of the skill position players.
The Vikings have a veteran-laden team — 8 starters entering their 8th NFL season or more — so while it may seem important to get a win to get the new coaching staff building some momentum, it’s more important to keep the older guys healthy and not risk injury in a game with no bearing on the standings.
As a result, the 49ers may be more likely to give their 1st team — especially on offense — a longer look than the Vikings. That’s why Minnesota being a 4.5 point favorite is difficult to understand given the direction both teams are heading in 2022.
I have no problem with anyone who wants to take the 49ers and 4.5 points — it’s a solid hedge of the bet in the event Minnesota looks to keep its starters in longer than expected. But since the bet to make is San Francisco on the money line, the return here is so much less that it should be avoided.
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There is a reason both teams hit the Over last week. The 49ers allowed the Packers backups to roll up more than 400 yards of offense and Minnesota allowed the Raiders to score 5 times, including 10 points in the 4th quarter.
The 49ers have a very strong starting defense, but depth is thin and it showed against the Packers future cuts. The Vikings had 1 of the worst defenses in the league last year and their depth is almost nonexistent across the board. It may take until late to hit the needed points to go Over, but it looks like it will happen after fans without a vested interest have long since checked out.
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