Vikings can shatter Steelers’ playoff dream

With both the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers still harbouring hopes of making the playoffs, it will no doubt be a cagey affair when these teams meet at U.S. Bank Stadium in the early hours of Friday morning.

Neither side was convincing in their last outings in Week 13 and it looks like fine margins will once again decide this showdown in downtown Minneapolis.

Vikings seeking quick response

Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer will be desperate to see his side get back to winning ways at the first time of asking after what was a dramatic last-gasp defeat to NFC North rivals Detroit last time out.

The Vikings were 27-23 up going into what was the final play of the game, before the Lions quarterback Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for a match-winning touchdown pass - remarkably, Detroit's first success of the season.

Instead of coming away from Motor City with the W, the Vikings are now on a two-game losing streak as they prepare for the arrival of the Steelers, and the pressure is truly on Zimmer to get a result.

If Minnesota are to get back to winning ways this week, for which they are 61% in our market, there will need to be a major improvement in defense. 

The Vikings have conceded an average of 29.6 points in their last five games and it’s something that will have Zimmer concerned as Minnesota looks to sneak their way into the playoffs behind the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws during last week's win over Baltimore

Steelers season hangs in the balance

Pittsburgh had their own dramatic finish in Week 13 as they edged out the Baltimore Ravens 20-19 at Heinz Field.

The Ravens had the chance to take the game into overtime with a simple extra point in the dying moments, but with a defence decimated by injury, coach John Harbaugh took the chance on taking the two. It didn’t pay off.

It’s clear the Steelers have been handed a lifeline in the AFC North for now but they will have to produce something special to edge out the Vikings on their own patch.

The running game could hold the key from a Steelers perspective as they look to cause this Minnesota defense more problems on Thursday night.

Running back Najee Harris is a real threat on the ground for the Steelers, so expect the rookie to find some joy in this Week 14 encounter.

Point spread tells its own story

Looking at the head-to-heads won’t offer much information for which way this one might swing, as the last time these sides met was back in September 2017.

Veteran Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would have had slightly more of a spring in his step back then as his side earned a 26-9 win on home soil.

However, what does give a hint to how close this game might be is the point spread, with Minnesota at 1.89 with -3.0. 

Again the ground game looks like it will be a deciding factor, with Harris looking like that dangerman for the visitors.

However, the Steelers have also struggled with their rushing defence and Vikings running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison also have the ability to gain valuable yards.

Much like their games last week, expect this one to go down to the wire but with home advantage, and Cook and Mattison at their disposal, the Vikings could be the ones to end Pittsburgh’s hopes of playoff football.