Jets vs Vikings Picks & Odds: Vikes Home Faves in Date with Stingy Jets

The Minnesota Vikings (9-2 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) will be aiming to become the first NFL team this season to clinch a division title when they host the New York Jets (7-4, 7-4) on Sunday in NFL Week 13 action.

The Vikings have a commanding five-game lead atop the NFC North after a 33-26 win over New England last weekend and can clinch the division crown with a victory over the Jets and a loss by the Detroit Lions in their clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jets kept pace with Miami and Buffalo in the race for the AFC East with last weekend’s 31-10 rout of Chicago, but have failed to win consecutive games during a 2-2 run.

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Jets vs Vikings Sportsbook Odds

The Vikings have climbed to 3-point favorites since Sportsbook as 2.5-point chalk. The total has also been on the rise, vaulting to 45.5 after Sportsbook at just 41.5.

Sunday afternoon’s matchup marks the first meeting between these teams since 2018. The Vikings have claimed victory in their past two dates with the Jets, capped by a 37-17 win in New York four years ago. Minnesota’s current 2-0 run in head-to-head action comes after losing seven straight to the Jets, including three straight losses by double-digit margins on home turf. With the total reaching 49 or higher in three straight matchups, the OVER is on a 3-0 run.

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Stout Defense Keeping Jets in Playoff Contention

The Jets enjoyed the benefit of facing an injury-plagued opponent last weekend, with the Bears having to make do without rising star quarterback Justin Fields in their visit to New York. After Chicago briefly seized an early lead by scoring on its first two drives, the offense struggled to get going against a steady New York defense that kept the Bears pinned well inside their own territory until garbage time.

The Jets have not allowed a scoring run in 10 quarters and have yielded just one touchdown pass over the past three games. The defensive line has been particularly ferocious, racking up 19 sacks over the past four games. That has contributed to the team’s steady performance after recess, allowing just 10 total points over the past three games.

The big question facing this team is who will be guiding the offense when they hit the field Sunday. Zach Wilson quickly fell out of favor with his coaches and teammates in the wake of some eyebrow-raising comments following the team’s 10-3 loss in New England two weeks ago.

Wilson was benched in favor of Mike White, who tossed for three TDs and 315 yards vs Chicago. That performance should be good enough to garner him a second start, but White must avoid the accuracy issues that led to eight interceptions in his four appearances under center last season.

Cousins Needs More Help from Offensive Line

The Vikings rebounded from a brutal 40-3 beating by the visiting Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago by outlasting the New England Patriots last week. The lead changed hands five times in that contest, with the Vikings eking out the win on the strength of an Adam Thielen TD reception with less than four minutes remaining.

Thielen’s catch came at the end of his busiest day this season, with the 32-year-old receiver catching nine passes on 10 targets. The game-winning score marked Thielen’s first touchdown in five games and just his second on home turf this season. Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson made a scoring catch for the third time in four games while compiling 139 yards and has now topped the century mark in six of his last eight outings.

Last week’s contest also marked somewhat of a breakthrough for Kirk Cousins. The Vikings pivot threw for a season-high three touchdowns and completed 81.1 percent of his pass attempts, also a season high. Overall, Cousins has thrown for multiple scores in four of seven home dates this season.

Jets: Keys To Victory

Faced with uncertainty under center, at least until Mike White proves worthy of a prolonged audition for a team in playoff contention, the Jets need another big performance from the defense. That means steady harassment of the largely immobile Kirk Cousins and extending their current two-game stretch without a turnover.

Vikings: Keys To Victory

The Vikings had no answer for a seemingly unstoppable Cowboys defensive line in their loss to Dallas, with Kirk Cousins getting sacked seven times. The Minnesota offensive line must do a far better job of offering Cousins more time and space, and the Vikings rushers must be more productive after generating fewer than 75 yards and failing to score in three of the past four games.

NFL Computer Pick: Vikings -3

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