NFL Football Betting Preview
Dallas Cowboys (11-5) at Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
Sunday January 17th, 1:00PM Eastern

Betus.com betting line – Minnesota -2.5, 45.5 O/U

The Minnesota Vikings will host the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday at the Metrodome in possibly the most popular playoff meeting thus far in the postseason. On one side, you have the legend QB Brett Farve who signed with the Vikings while turning a rushing team into one of the most balanced offenses in the league. The Vikings at many times this season have appeared to be the most complete team in the league, but a few lackluster performances down the stretch has left some doubts on what was such a promising season. The Vikings are in search for their first NFC Championship in over 30 years, but before they have a chance at a Championship they must defend their home turf against the most hated team in America.

The Dallas Cowboys ended all the critics talk of the postseason drought last week as they beat the Eagles for the 2nd straight week in a row to score their first postseason victory since 1996. The Cowboys are suddenly playing extremely well on the defensive side of the ball and also getting help from the offense along the way. The Cowboys now seem to have momentum on their side, something that has been missing for nearly two decades. Still, the Cowboys have a lot of support considered by one of the largest fan bases in sports. For most of those fans, the Cowboys rise to glory has been long overdue. However, a loss to the Vikings this Sunday would make the wait even longer.

The Vikings offense has been a lethal threat to all defenses this season. The primary objective initially was to feed the ball to the sensational running threat of Adrian Peterson and then work the pass in as holes opened in the defense. However, Peterson has not had the incredible season that most would have expected yet has still been effective enough to rack up over 1,300 rushing yards. However as a result, Farve has thrown a lot more passes and WR Sidney Rice has emerged as a star in the passing offense. It will be interesting to see how the Vikings come out and try to establish their offense this week. The Cowboys defensive front has been very strong and just asks Donovan McNabb how well they are playing. Still, even with the Cowboys strong pass rush teams have been able to run the ball. On that note, expect Peterson to set the tone early and depending on their success running the football will decide which pace of offense the Vikings establish.

Expect the Vikings run game to not be as successful early on when emotions are up from kickoff and they will likely turn to Farve rather quickly. I’m sure the Vikings passing attack will have their ups and downs. However, it could be a lot more struggles if the Dallas pass rush continues to dominate. The way the Vikings will get the offense involved is when they go back to the running game with Peterson later. Once the Dallas defense is worn down a bit, Peterson can have a step advantage in the holes and that is where they will find the offensive sparks. It will be up to Farve and the passing game to capitalize on those sparks. One thing is for sure that neither passing team can afford to turnover the ball as this will expectedly be a close game.

The Cowboys offense will surely allow Marion Barber and Felix Jones to have plenty of carries. Both backs have the ability to cause damage, but Jones is appearing to be the star in the making. After busting out a few big plays against the Eagles in the first meeting, Jones rushed for 148 yards and a score on just 16 carries in last week’s win. QB Tony Romo completed 66% throwing for 244 yards and 2 scores. WR Miles Austin was yet again the favorite target catching 7 balls for 82 yards and a touchdown. However, keep an eye on WR Roy Williams. When Williams makes a few grabs it really opens the door for the rest of the receivers. The Cowboys numbers on offense has been pretty solid and they should be able to score some points again. The question is will the Vikings have their way on the offensive side of the ball as they have many times this season or will the Cowboys defense continue to impress?

Pick – Dallas +2.5