Andrew Wilsher
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The NFL heads to London for the first International Series matchup of the 2022 season, so get your alarms set for this one as kickoff is at 9:30 am ET. Both the Vikings and the Saints have endured inconsistent starts to this season, and will be keen to get things right at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Saints’ offense had already been struggling and must now deal with the fact that Michael Thomas is out and Jameis Winston is unlikely to play. Can Minnesota take advantage? Let’s dive into our best same game parlay picks for this matchup.
Minnesota Vikings -3 (-114)
Under 43.5 (-154)
Alvin Kamara anytime touchdown scorer (+125)
Same Game Parlay odds: +1074
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Part of the value in Same Game Parlays, of course, is that you can correlate plays, or have a couple of contradictory plays to boost the odds. That’s the plan here, as taking Saints running back Alvin Kamara to find the end zone technically goes against backing the Vikings against the spread and the under, when in reality I don’t believe they conflict all that much. Let me explain and break down each of these plays one by one.
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Minnesota Vikings -3 (-114) over New Orleans Saints
Both teams have had problematic starts, but it’s the Vikings who have looked a bit more fluent on offense and should be able to secure the victory in London. Minnesota started their season with a big win over AFC North rivals Green Bay, but followed that up with a disappointing loss to the Eagles in which Kirk Cousins threw 3 interceptions. The Vikings were able to overturn a 10-point deficit to beat the Lions last week, but it’s hard to trust them after they had struggled for much of the game. However, one thing is for sure and that is that the Vikings have a bunch of talent on offense. Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and now K.J. Osborn have been hot at wideout while Dalvin Cook has put up plenty of yards on the ground.
As for the Saints, they were an anemic offense even before star receiver Michael Thomas was ruled out and Jameis Winston was listed as doubtful. With Andy Dalton now likely to start under center, it’s hard to see how he’ll be able to get much out of a New Orleans offense that has scored 13 total points through the first 3 quarters of their 3 games this season. The Saints will be relying on their defense to keep them in it, but it’s hard to see how they will be able to match Minnesota’s scoring. Take the Vikings to win by at least a field goal.
Be sure to check out our full Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints predictions
Under 43.5 (-154)
I liked the under on this matchup even before the Winston and Thomas news, but now I absolutely love it. For all of Minnesota’s talent on offense, Cousins just can’t seem to bring it all together and it’s difficult to see them exploding into life against a Saints defense that really doesn’t give up points easily. The Saints’ offensive woes were covered above and if Winston is indeed ruled out then it’s hard to see New Orleans have much of a presence at all, particularly in the passing game.
It’s also worth highlighting that 8 of the last 12 NFL games in London have seen 44 points or fewer scored. While both teams are unlikely to be impacted by the time difference given they travelled over early in the week, that could still be a factor and may result in a sluggish start. The under looks the way to go here.
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Alvin Kamara anytime touchdown scorer (+125)
While I expect the Vikings to win and the Saints’ offense to struggle, one man on New Orleans who I can see having a solid day is Alvin Kamara. If Winston is indeed ruled out, then Saints coach Dennis Smith will likely lean on his star running back while Dalton gets acclimatized, so expect him to have plenty of touches. Kamara is yet to find the end zone this season but he was knocking on the door against the Panthers last week and this is a matchup where he should flourish.
The Vikings have allowed 5 rushing touchdowns this season, which is the 2nd-most in the NFL. I don’t expect the Saints to score many points at all, but if they do score a TD then I fully expect it to be because of Kamara. Given the hefty odds boost this play gives to our Same Game Parlay, I’ll happily add it in to get us the 10/1 odds.
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