NFL Opening Odds: Vikings open as underdogs for fifth consecutive week

For a team that’s currently riding a five-game winning streak. . .all with star wide receiver Justin Jefferson sidelined with a hamstring injury. . .the Minnesota Vikings don’t seem to be getting a lot of respect from the folks that set betting odds.

Ahead of Sunday’s prime time matchup with the Denver Broncos, the Vikings have opened betting as a 2-point underdog.

This is the fifth consecutive game that has seen the Vikings open as an underdog, a stretch that includes games against the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and now the Broncos. It’s worth noting that by the time kickoff rolled around the Vikings were favored over Green Bay but they were still the underdog at kickoff for the other four contests.

The Vikings have kept it exciting since losing Jefferson and quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier in the season, as Joshua Dobbs has swooped in and provided a spark offensively while Brian Flores’ defense has rounded into one of the best overall units in the league after a rough start to the season.

It seems a little strange that a team that’s riding a five-game winning streak. . .currently the NFL’s longest. . .would be an underdog to a team that could go into the game with a 3-6 record, even if it is a road game. It looks like the Vikings will just have to keep defying the odds and put together another victory when it appears they aren’t expected to do so.