The Minnesota Vikings will kick off the 2015 NFL preseason as three-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in the annual Hall of Fame Game at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
The Vikings are primed for an improved season under second-year head coach Mike Zimmer and with second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater under center following a fairly successful rookie campaign in Minneapolis.
Minnesota is one of the top sleeper picks by many NFL betting experts to make the playoffs this season, and the team is at 40-1 on the odds to win Super Bowl 50, according to Odds Shark. The Vikings will have All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson back on the field in 2015 after he missed almost the entire year when the team deactivated him and put him on the commissioner’s exempt list following his indictment on child injury charges.
Peterson ended up missing the last 15 games of 2014, but his eventual return to the field will not mean much for bettors because he has not carried the ball in an exhibition game over the previous three seasons. Peterson recently told members of the media he does not plan to play this preseason either, starting with the Hall of Fame Game, and is targeting September 14 against the San Francisco 49ers for his 2015 debut.
Minnesota was a perfect 4-0 last preseason without Peterson seeing any game action.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are coming off their first playoff appearance in three years, but it was a short run that ended at home in the AFC Wild Card Round against the rival Baltimore Ravens.
Pittsburgh’s defense continues to be a work in progress, although the offense saw quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throw for a career-high 4,952 yards with 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. The Steelers averaged a franchise-best 27.2 points per game in 2014.
However, Pittsburgh’s preseason plans will not likely include showcasing the offensive talent, as the team averaged just 14 points per game in going 1-3 in four exhibition games a year ago.
Roethlisberger will likely see limited playing time, if any, in the Hall of Fame Game betting matchup, according to Odds Shark, and the same can be said for running back Le’Veon Bell, who recently saw his three-game suspension reduced to two for the regular season due to violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
The Steelers are 20-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl and could be the team to beat in the AFC North if their defense can improve significantly from last year.
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The Vikings are primed for an improved season under second-year head coach Mike Zimmer and with second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater under center following a fairly successful rookie campaign in Minneapolis.
Minnesota is one of the top sleeper picks by many NFL betting experts to make the playoffs this season, and the team is at 40-1 on the odds to win Super Bowl 50, according to Odds Shark. The Vikings will have All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson back on the field in 2015 after he missed almost the entire year when the team deactivated him and put him on the commissioner’s exempt list following his indictment on child injury charges.
Peterson ended up missing the last 15 games of 2014, but his eventual return to the field will not mean much for bettors because he has not carried the ball in an exhibition game over the previous three seasons. Peterson recently told members of the media he does not plan to play this preseason either, starting with the Hall of Fame Game, and is targeting September 14 against the San Francisco 49ers for his 2015 debut.
Minnesota was a perfect 4-0 last preseason without Peterson seeing any game action.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are coming off their first playoff appearance in three years, but it was a short run that ended at home in the AFC Wild Card Round against the rival Baltimore Ravens.
Pittsburgh’s defense continues to be a work in progress, although the offense saw quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throw for a career-high 4,952 yards with 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. The Steelers averaged a franchise-best 27.2 points per game in 2014.
However, Pittsburgh’s preseason plans will not likely include showcasing the offensive talent, as the team averaged just 14 points per game in going 1-3 in four exhibition games a year ago.
Roethlisberger will likely see limited playing time, if any, in the Hall of Fame Game betting matchup, according to Odds Shark, and the same can be said for running back Le’Veon Bell, who recently saw his three-game suspension reduced to two for the regular season due to violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
The Steelers are 20-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl and could be the team to beat in the AFC North if their defense can improve significantly from last year.
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