The No. 6 seed Vikings will try to pull off a second consecutive NFC playoff upset when they travel to San Francisco to play the No. 1 seed 49ers in a divisional round game on Saturday afternoon (4:35 p.m. ET, NBC).
The Vikings, with their overtime escape over the No. 3 seed Saints in New Orleans last Sunday, are lesser road underdogs this week. The 49ers, who finished 13-3 in the regular season, enjoyed a bye to get more key players healthy for their first home playoff game in seven years.
Minnesota has the momentum but San Francisco is a strong object at rest.
Here's everything to know about betting on 49ers vs. Vikings in the NFL playoffs, including updated odds, trends and our expert's prediction for the NFC divisional game.
MORE: Get the latest NFL odds & betting trends at Sports Insider
49ers vs. Vikings odds for NFL playoffs
- Spread: 49ers by 7
- Point total: 44
- Odds: Vikings -115, 49ers -105
The Vikings overcame the Saints being favored by 8 points to beat them by 6 with the game-winning touchdown in OT. The 49ers are still heavy favorites considering it's a final-four game in the NFC. But the Vikings are being given a slightly better chance here than expected. The line actually moved up as it was 6.5 early in the week.
49ers vs. Vikings all-time series
The Vikings and 49ers are locked into a dead heat, 23-23-1 against each other. Some team will go ahead after Saturday. The Vikings won the most recent meeting, in September of 2018, and have taken four of the past five going back to 2007. The Vikings pulled off one of the greatest NFC upsets in this round against the 49ers after the 1987 season, winning at San Francisco 36-24 in the 1988 playoffs. That year, the Vikings also defeated the Saints in the wild-card round.
Three trends to know
— The Vikings are 9-8 against the spread through the wild-card round. The 49ers were 9-6-1 during the regular season. Bettors are split 50-50 on who will cover but the Vikings have 62 percent of the moneyline action.
— So far, 9 of 17 Vikings games have gone over the point total. For the 49ers, it's been 8 of 16 games. 60 percent of bettors like the game to go over.
— The Vikings have covered in three of their past four games. The 49ers have covered in four of their past six games.
Three things to watch
Ford, Alexander and Tartt return
The 49ers are set to get defensive end Dee Ford, linebacker Kwon Alexander and safety Jaquiski Tartt all back from injuries. Ford will boost the pass rush opposite Nick Bosa. Alexander will raise the playmaking quotient and coverage range on the second level. Tartt brings more hard hitting to run support and also can be imposing in tight end coverage. Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph won't find it as easy in the passing game this week.
Cook vs. the 49ers' run defense
Cook went off running and receiving on the Saints to fuel the Vikings to victory in New Orleans. The 49ers won't be getting back nose tackle D.J. Jones, leaving the inside run defensive weakness. The Vikings can't shy away from feeding Cook often to take pressure off Cousins trying to throw downfield against a good secondary while under duress and also working the clock to help keep the 49ers' explosive offense off the field.
Kyle Shanahan's first playoff game as head coach
Veteran Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has plenty of playoff experience as his team's leader. Shanahan is new to this kind of playoff atmosphere after a long-awaited breakout season with the 49ers. The last time he was exposed to this high-stakes environment, it was Super Bowl 51 against the Patriots, when a few decisions he made with the Falcons' offense when up 28-3 may have cost the team victory. Shanahan will need to shake that off quickly to make a new stamp with a team that's completely his.
Stat that matters
The 49ers had the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL during the regular season, allowing only 169.2 yards per game on average. They had 48 sacks and limited passers to an 83.0 rating combined. Cousins was efficient with the biggest win of his career last week. But facing a reinforced defense and a coach who knows his tendencies well in Shanahan makes it daunting to deliver another top performance.
49ers vs. Vikings prediction
The Vikings will come in disciplined and hungry to continue their run with Cousins and Zimmer. But the 49ers are a superior team offensively and defensively. Jimmy Garoppolo will outplay Cousins, taking advantage of the Vikings' pass defense issues and Shanahan will throw in some offensive wrinkles to good success, much like the Saints did last week. This is still a one-possession game, but it will be in firm control of San Francisco in the end.
49ers 28, Vikings 20
