San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings Betting Preview
20 August 2022
Time: 7:00 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco 118.001; Minnesota 124.834
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 7; 43
Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota by 4 ½; 40 ½
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-4 ½); Over
The Minnesota Vikings host the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night in a matchup during Week 2 of the NFL Preseason. Both of these teams should be in the NFC playoff race in 2022, and this game could be a potential playoff preview.
San Francisco was in the NFC Championship Game a season ago and was only a few plays short of reaching the Super Bowl. The 49ers are making a change at quarterback, but they are a team that is loaded with talent.
Minnesota was one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL a season ago as they missed out on the playoffs completely. The Vikings enter 2022 with solid odds to win the NFC North Division, and they are a team with plenty of talent.
The Minnesota Vikings are 4.5-point betting favorites over the San Francisco Giants in this Preseason Week 2 showdown.
49ers Want to Run
The San Francisco 49ers are going to have a new quarterback in Trey Lance this season, but they aren't going to put a lot on his plate. San Francisco wants to run the football, and that has been their formula for the last few years.
The 49ers' defense was solid in the preseason opener as they allowed just 21 points to the Green Bay Packers. That defensive line will be terrific once the regular season begins, but most of the starters aren't going to see the field in this game.
Look for San Francisco to spend most of the time running the football and then trying to win the game by getting stops.
Minnesota Must Get Some Stops
The Minnesota Vikings missed out on the playoffs a season ago because they had a defense that simply couldn't get enough stops when needed. That unit was going to be a focus during the 2022 preseason, but the team gave up 26 points in Week 1 to the Las Vegas Raiders.
If the Vikings aren't going to play solid defense this season, then they are going to need the offense to step up in a big way. Minnesota has a ton of weapons on offense, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Playing in front of a home crowd should give the Vikings a boost in this game, and they will try to win it on the offensive side of the ball.
Vikings Blast 49ers at Home
It's never easy making betting picks on the NFL Preseason as it's hard to know the players that each team is going to run out. San Francisco was able to win in the preseason opener, but they are a team that doesn't have a ton to prove the rest of the preseason slate.
Minnesota put up a good fight on the road in Week 1 of the preseason, and this team has to start winning some games. The Vikings are looking for any positive signs heading into the regular season, and both sides of the ball have to be locked in for this matchup.
Bet the Minnesota Vikings -4.5 over the San Francisco Giants in this Week 2 NFL Preseason matchup of two potential playoff teams in the NFC.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
