Andrew Wilsher
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It’s the battle of the teams that couldn’t beat the Detroit Lions, as the Pittsburgh Steelers head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. The hosts suffered defeat against lowly Detroit last week to give the Lions their first win of the season, and in the process Minnesota dropped to 5-7. If the Vikings are to reach the playoffs, then this is almost a must-win game for head coach Mike Zimmer’s team. As for the Steelers, they just secured a huge win over the Ravens — but Big Ben and company know they need to keep registering Ws if they want to make it to the postseason.
With this matchup pretty much being must-win for both teams, it’s sure to be an exciting game — and one way to boost your enjoyment is by betting a same game parlay. We have one right here at +960 odds with FanDuel sportsbook!
Makes sure you check out our picks on the side and total for EVERY NFL Week 14 matchup.
Minnesota Vikings ML (-172)
Over 43.5 points (-110)
Najee Harris to score a touchdown (-120)
Najee Harris under 72.5 rushing yards (-114)
Parlay odds: +960
As you can see, I’m pretty sweet on the Vikings to win this game while expecting there to be plenty of points scored. That correlates nicely with Harris finding the endzone, although I think his rushing prop line is set way too high. Allow me to break each of these legs down.
Minnesota Vikings ML (-172)
The Vikings will likely be furious about their loss to the Lions last week and I’m expecting them to bounce back this week in a big way. Despite losing 7 of its 12 games, Minnesota is yet to be bested by more than a score, and I’m still convinced that this team is a lot better than its record suggests. Kirk Cousins is arguably having the best season of his career, having accumulated the 6th-most passing yards in the league while throwing just 3 interceptions — the fewest of any starting QB. The absence of Adam Thielen could be tough, but Justin Jefferson proved he’s more than capable of carrying the load last week.
Whether it’s Dalvin Cook or Alexander Mattison out of the backfield, the fact is that the Steelers have allowed more yards per carry than any other team this season (4.8) and I’m expecting the Vikings’ ground game to be red-hot. I can’t see Pittsburgh stopping Minnesota both through the air and on the ground, and that should lead to a Vikings win.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Pittsburgh Steelers vs Minnesota Vikings
Over 43.5 points (-110)
Both teams have had their fair share of low-scoring games this season, but there’s a lot going into this that tells me we could see a lot of points. First off, both teams have been horrific at stopping the run. As mentioned, the Steelers allow the most yards per carry (4.8), but the Vikings aren’t much better, allowing an average of 4.7. On the flip side, they both have very competent running backs, be it Cook or Mattison for Minnesota, while Najee Harris has been solid for Pittsburgh (more on him shortly).
Minnesota’s passing game has been hot this season with Cousins under center, while Ben Roethlisberger has at times shown flashes of brilliance and his targets of Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth should be able to help him move the chains. The Steelers were involved in a 78-point shootout with the Chargers not too long ago and also shipped 41 points against Cincinnati, while the Vikings have seen the over cash 4 times in their last 5 games.
Najee Harris to score a touchdown (-120)
Najee Harris under 72.5 rushing yards (-114)
As noted in my over write-up, the Vikings have struggled a lot against the run — and that’s been truly on display over the past couple of weeks against the 49ers (Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel ran it for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns) and the Lions (Jamaal Williams had 71 rushing yards). While I expect the Steelers to exploit that weakness a lot, and with some success, I ultimately feel that this line is set too high for Harris. The rookie running back has topped this line only once in his last 5 games and has at times struggled to exploit poor run defenses, such as the Chargers (he had just 39 rushing yards against LA. Also, if the Vikings take control of the game, then Pittsburgh will have to air it out more and thus limiting Harris’ running opportunities.
That being said, I still like Harris to score a touchdown. The Vikings have leaked a lot of points over the past few weeks and inside the red zone I expect Pittsburgh’s running back to have chances to make it into the endzone. I’m not ruling out a good day for Harris, but earning over 72 rushing yards is a big ask. Plus, combining these two gives our same game parlay a nice odds boost.
Don’t forget to read our best touchdown scorer bets for Steelers vs Vikings!
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