Vikings open as home underdog against Cowboys in Week 11

When it comes to betting and odds and things of that nature, yours truly is not the savviest member of the football writing universe. But there are some things that I would like to think make as little sense to others as they make to me.

Such is the case with the opening lines for this week’s matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and our Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The betting lines are open, and our friends at the DraftKings Sportsbook have installed the Cowboys as a 1.5-point favorite to get things started.

The Vikings are coming off a thrilling 33-30 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in what many are calling the game of the year to this point in the NFL season. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are coming off of a game that saw them enter the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field with a 14-point lead over the Packers only to completely fall apart and lose 31-28 in overtime.

Minnesota has now won seven consecutive games, all of which have been by one score. They’ll be playing five of their next six games at U.S. Bank Stadium, with their only road trip during that time being a short one to Detroit in Week 14. The Vikings are also in clear control of the NFC North, while the Cowboys have fallen into third place in the NFC East behind the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.

Both the Cowboys and the Vikings will have a short week after this one as they both play on Thanksgiving. Dallas will host another team the Giants in the middle game of the Thanksgiving triple-header, while the Vikings will host a Thanksgiving game for the first time in their history when the New England Patriots come to town.

Again, I’m not entirely sure why the Cowboys are favored going into this one. It doesn’t sound like Cowboys fans are quite sure why, either. But, a lot of folks have made it clear that they like it better when the Vikings are “under the radar,” and being installed as a home underdog when you’re in the midst of a seven-game winning streak is something I believe would fall under that heading.