Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings Betting Preview

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings
Betting Line: Vikings -2.5

Dallas easily handled Philadelphia for the second week in a row last Saturday with an emphatic 34-14 victory. Minnesota had a bye last week after routing the Giants in the regular-season finale. However, they lost three of their previous four games before that win.

The Cowboys are humming on offense but will need QB Tony Romo (13-2 TD/INT last 7 games) to be at his best in this contest. Minnesota's run defense ranked 2nd this season and has finished in the Top 3 for four straight years. RB Felix Jones has the speed to take it to the house on any play but RB Marion Barber III is banged up. RB Tashard Choice will also get carries. Romo is hot right now and faces a weakened secondary. CB Antoine Winfield is back but has little change-of-direction skills right now. Six Cowboys receivers topped 40 catches this season as Romo likes to spread the ball around. TE Jason Witten is usually a matchup nightmare and look for him to be a frequent target this week. WR Miles Austin has emerged as a No.1 receiver and he could be in for a big game. LT Flozell Adams could have trouble with DE Jared Allen (14.5 sacks, 2nd in NFL) and look for Dallas to give him some help. Rookie MLB Jasper Brinkley will be targeted in coverage and how he holds up will go a long way in determining the fate of the defense.

Minnesota QB Brett Favre had one of his best campaigns and tossed four TDs in the season finale. That was against a team that had laid down however, not a team that has allowed 14 total points in their last three games. Favre had some trouble down the stretch and wasn't as effective as he had been for most of the season. The Cowboys have totalled 4+ sacks in each of their last four games and Favre will likely be forced into some quick throws. Rookie RT Phil Loadholt has had trouble in pass protection and will have to deal with the emerging OLB Anthony Spencer. OLB DeMarcus Ware remains a beast. Favre doesn't lack for targets and rookie WR Percy Harvin will test the Dallas defense with his speed and quickness. RB Adrian Peterson has gone seven games without topping 100 yards as the overall play of the O-line has slipped noticeably throughout the season. The Cowboys ranked 4th in run defense this season and will try to force Favre into long down-and-distance situations. The Vikings have a lot of talented receivers and they could really test the Dallas secondary.

Few teams are playing as well as the Cowboys right now as they have peaked at the right time. The Vikings limped to the finish line with a 12-4 record after starting the year 10-1. Their offense just isn't playing as well as they were earlier in the year and their 19th-rated pass defense is also struggling. Romo will have to deal with some loud crowd noise but look for him to come up big again this week.
Take the Cowboys