Week 2 NFL Opening Odds: Vikings sizeable underdogs going into Philadelphia

Heading into their Week 1 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Minnesota Vikings couldn’t live up to their status as a favorite. Now, on a short week, they’re a hefty underdog heading into their prime time matchup with the defending NFC Champions.

The folks at the DraftKings Sportsbook have installed the Philadelphia Eagles as an early 7.5-point favorite over the Vikings for their Week 2 matchup at Lincoln Financial Field, and after some of what we saw yesterday it’s almost surprising to see the number that low.

Philadelphia had their struggles in Week 1, jumping up to a 16-0 lead early but having to hold off the New England Patriots at the end to get a 25-20 victory in Foxborough. the Vikings, on the other hand, had a back-and-forth game that saw their offense stall out at the end in a 20-17 loss.

While the Vikings’ defense under new coordinator Brian Flores showed a lot of promise in their first game, it’s going to be a much different scenario heading into Philadelphia for their home opener. Without trying to disrespect the Bucs too much, the Eagles are significantly better and that stadium is going to be pretty crazy.

This is one of those games that just has a bad vibe going into it for the Vikings. Will they be able to keep things anywhere close to that number or even pull off what would have to be considered a significant upset? I know stranger things have happened in the NFL before, but it’s going to be a tall order for Kevin O’Connell and company to make it happen.