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Game Overview

The Minnesota Vikings hope to continue to be the surprising team of the NFC on the NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football this week when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs might be just 2-4 this year, but they are showing some spunk for sure and will pick off teams like this one if they aren’t careful. The team is 4-2 ATS for a reason, and last week, it probably deserved at least a cover and a shot to beat the New Orleans Saints at home. However, the game was lost, and the reality that another season with a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft instead of a playoff spot is becoming more of a reality. QB Josh Freeman is taking some major strides in the right direction this year, and he now has thrown for 1,538 yards and 11 TDs against just five picks, but his completion percentage is awfully low at 55.6. He’s taking some more shots down the field and is averaging 8.2 yards per pass attempt though, which is 1.7 yards per attempt higher than last season. The defense has been up and down, holding three teams to 16 points or fewer but allowing two teams to score at least 35 against it.

Meanwhile, Minnesota is rolling at 5-2, and seemingly everything is going right. The defense ranks sixth in the league in scoring at 18.7 points per game, and DE Jared Allen has woken up from his early season slumber to be atop the team in sacks once again with six in seven games. QB Christian Ponder is putting up modest numbers, but he is completing passes at a high rate (67.0%) and has done a decent job taking care of the football (9 TDs vs. 6 INTs). The real sign that this team is going in the right direction though, is the play of RB Adrian Peterson. All Day has rumbled 136 times with the ball this year without a sign that his ACL is acting up, and he has 652 yards to go with three trips to the end zone. There is a real chance that Peterson rushed for over 1,500 yards this year, and he might even challenge the 2,000 yard mark if the team can stay consistent and win some games. Watch out for WR Percy Harvin as well, as he has averaged touching the ball 12.0 times per game for 163.1 yards per game, and he has been in the end zone four times.

Prediction

It’s not going to be the greatest day for the Vikings, as they are probably going to find some resistance from the Bucs. In the end, they’ll figure out how to win the game, but asking them to do so against such a stingy team is going to be tough on a short week. Take the points, but look for Minnesota to win the game. Minnesota 21 – Tampa Bay 17