We’re currently 3 game weeks down in the NFL and it’s shaping up to be a pretty good season! Teams that should be storming on through the season are showing signs of weakness, teams that SHOULD be struggling are putting up a better fight than most people anticipated, apart from the Falcons it seems. BUT there is still a LONG way to go until we get to the end of the season and the prize that everybody is eyeing up, the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Today we’ll be looking at one game week 4 fixture in particular. The New Orleans Saints Vs The Minnesota Vikings, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London! These fixtures are always quite special because it’s a great chance for fans outside of the states to catch a live game, OR gives die hard fans a nice holiday across the pond. Who doesn’t want to explore a bustling city like London?
New Orleans Saints
Unfortunately for the Saints fans out there, their team hasn’t had a very good start to the season. They edged out a win against the Falcons in game week one with a late comeback in Atlanta, 27-26 to be precise, before suffering back-to-back losses, the first was a 20-10 loss at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the second was a poor display in Carolina against the Panthers, 22-14. They went into the 4th quarter 13-0 down however, so they fought back well enough, just, couldn’t keep it tight in defence and fell to another loss.
So far the Saints haven’t looked like a great team, nothing to shout home about. Not particularly great defensively, though they’re arguably better on the defensive end than they are on the offensive end, because their offensive line is absolutely dreadful at the moment. They only managed TWO decent offensive drives which they scored from against the Panthers but outside of that they were completely abysmal. They seriously need to make some changes to their offensive approach or this will be a very miserable season for the fans.
But, given their season so far, what do the experts think about this upcoming game? Well it’s pretty unanimous across the board, but The Saints find themselves as SLIGHT underdogs in this one, sitting at 20/21 meaning a £5 stake returns £9.76.. However if you want to put your money on the SLIGHT favourite, then a £5 stake on the Minnesota Vikings will return £9.34, not much to choose between them really!
If you’re wanting to look a little further ahead than next week, then Saints fans can check betmgm Louisiana sportsbook odds for future games, but for now we’re going to look even further beyond that. I know it’s still early in the season, but we’re talking about two very passionate sets of fans here between the Saints and the Vikings, so what are we looking at in terms of potential Super Bowl winners between these two teams?
Well, the Saints are currently sitting 1-2, not the best start, but the experts aren’t really giving the saints a chance this season, if you’re feeling spicy and want to stake on them to win it however, you’re looking at pretty big odds, 66/1 right now. Which for anyone wondering they’re SIXTEENTH favourite for the Super Bowl, a £5 stake returns £335. The Vikings fare a little better on the other hand, 2-1 so far, they the THIRTEENTH favourite, 33/1, which returns £170 from £5. Decent odds but probably not the best shout is it?
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are a pretty peculiar case, they got off to an absolute stormer of a start to the season with a huge 23-7 win over the Green Bay Packers at home, but in game week 2 they travelled to Philadelphia to try their luck against the Eagles. Unfortunately they got SLAPPED. A 23-7 loss saw them running back to Minnesota with their tails tucked between their legs. Fast forward to game week 3 and the Vikings played host to the Detroit Lions. They found themselves 10 points behind going into the final quarter but a solid 14 point comeback including a LAST MINUTE touchdown saw them steal the win at the very end to take them 2-1 for the season.
They have truly been a mixed bag this season, when they look good they look great, but when they look bad they get blown away. Against the Lions this weekend they genuinely looked like a team who was TRYING to throw the game. Both teams missed field goals with their first drive. Thankfully Cousins had a pretty rough game for the Lions otherwise it could’ve been a different story, but his highs were HIGH and his lows were very low. As it happened, the Lions actually ended up throwing the game by going for a field goal on fourth down while they were 3 ahead. Weird decision.
That’ll be that for this one, so, Saints fans, Vikings fans, what are we thinking for this one? Who takes the win? Are we excited for the game in London? Would you prefer it was played on home soil? If you’re excited for it, are you making the journey? Or are you just happy that more fans get to see your team live? Since we’re on the subject, what do we think about the London game in general?
There has been a LOT of talk about a London based franchise over the years, even more so now that they have been playing regular games in London. Would a London based franchise really work? They would likely play a few games in a row in London before flying over to the US and doing a month long road trip, a good excuse for British fans to take a month off work isn’t it? I think there’s potential for it to work, but it depends on the investment really. More eyes on the sport is always a good thing in my eyes! Until next time, take care folks!