Plagerized Write-Up
Analysis:
The Big Easy will be the site of tonight’s Monday Night Football Game on ESPN. The 2-2 Saints play host to the 1-3 Minnesota Vikings.
The Saints are coming in off a home win and cover over the San Francisco 49ers while the Vikings are coming in off a road loss at the Tennessee Titans last week.
The New Orleans offense is explosive vertically and hitting for big yardage even without some of its top receivers. Fueled by QB Drew Brees' league-high 1,343 yards through the air, the Saints are leading the NFL in passing yards with 327.2 per game.
The Vikings rank third in the NFL in allowing just 71.8 rushing yards a game and New Orleans ranks near the bottom of the league with an average of 87 yards per game on the ground. The Saints running game may get better now that Deuce McAllister is back in the mix. McAllister gets the tough yards that no on else on the roster can get.
Despite not having tight end Jeremy Shockey and wide receiver Marques Colston, New Orleans has been averaging 414 yards per game. That's bad news for a Minnesota pass defense that has been at the bottom of the standings for the past two seasons. The Vikings have failed to record a sack in two of four games and they have just seven this season, tied for 19th in the NFL
After recording just eight passes of 40 yards or more in all of 2007, the Saints already have six pass plays that have gone for 40 yards or more in just four games.
The aerial game for the Vikings hasn't held up its end of the bargain since Childress assumed control. Frerotte is the fifth starting quarterback Childress has used. They will depend on their rushing attack to get the win for them tonight.
Minnesota's Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson is second in the NFL with 420 yards on 83 carries, and the Vikings are sixth in the league averaging 142 yards per game. However, he has carried the ball fewer than 20 times in three of the Vikings' four games.
For the Vikings, the status of three starters is uncertain. Linebacker E.J. Henderson is “doubtful,” while WRs Bernard Berrian and Sidney Rice are “questionable. Minnesota has lost both of its road games SU and ATS in 2008. Under Childress, the Vikings are 6-7-2 ATS in 15 games as road underdogs.
Data base research has uncovered several key technical Power Systems that are active for tonight’s contest.
Play ON a non-division home favorite of 3 points or less with a TOTAL of 34-47 points off a SU & ATS win as a home favorite of more than 3 points last week. 17-0 SU and 17-0 ATS since 1990.
Play ON a non-undefeated non-division home favorite of 12 points or less/pick ‘em off a home favorite SU win & ATS win last week and before another home contest in its next game. 11-0 SU and 11-0 ATS since 1990.
Play ON a Monday non-division home team (not a favorite of 14+ points) with a TOTAL of more than 40 points off a SU win in its last game vs. an opponent off a SU loss of 7-31 points in its last game. 21-0 SU and 21-0 ATS since 1983.
Finally our Technical Situational Report has the Saints in a positive situation for tonight’s match up. It tells us to Play ON team with a Pass Offense Rating +1.5 or higher than last season, facing a team with a PWP <=.500. 45-9 ATS since 1994.
GRADED PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS -3.5