The final whistle at the U.S. Bank Stadium in the early hours of Friday morning might well signal the end of one of these teams’ chances of reaching the postseason.
Contrasting Fortunes From Week 13
Both teams played out tight contests last week with the Vikings and Steelers having contrasting fortunes going into this Week 14 encounter in downtown Minneapolis.
The Steelers will be counting themselves lucky to get the W last week, as they survived a late scare against the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore bagged a late touchdown and would have taken the game into overtime with a simple extra point.
However, with serious injury issues to his defense, Ravens coach John Harbaugh decided to try and win the game in the final play in regulation time by going for the two points.
Quarterback Lemar Jackson could not get his execution right with a sloppy pass and that handed the 20-19 victory to the Steelers at Heinz Field.
As for Minnesota, the pressure is on coach Mike Zimmer after back-to-back defeats for his side.
It looked like the Vikings were going to win in Detroit last time out but Lions quarterback Jared Goff had different ideas.
Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for a match-winning touchdown pass in the last play of the game to snatch a 29-27 win in Motor City.
The Vikings can’t afford any further slip-ups if they want to join NFC North frontrunners Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.
Minnesota are 5/9 on the Money Line against the 31/20 Steelers.
Running Game Will Decide the Outcome
In what is set to be a tight contest it looks like the running game will go a long way in determining a winner in this one.
Neither side has been particularly strong with their rushing defense and that is likely to be an area where the offenses get their most joy.
The Vikings have runningbacks Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison at their disposal, with both players capable of earning significant yardage.
In what is a remarkable recovery, Cook looks set to feature despite suffering a dislocated shoulder last week.
The 26-year-old already has four touchdowns to his name in nine games this season, whilst also notching up an average of 85.9 yards a game.
As for the Steelers, much will rest on the shoulders of rookie runningback Najee Harris, who is enjoying an impressive first campaign in the NFL.
Harris has bagged five touchdowns and has run for 779 yards without a fumble to his name.
The battle between Cook and Harris might go a long way to deciding who gets the win in this intriguing clash.
There is expected to be little in this one but Minnesota with -3 on the point spread at 4/5 could be where the value lies.
*All odds correct at time of writing
