Vikings See Super Bowl Odds Improve After Workmanlike Week 8 Win, Odds Listed at +1400

• The Super Bowl odds of the Minnesota Vikings improved after a pedestrian 19-9 win over the Washington Redskins
• Minnesota went from +1600 down to +1400 to win the big game
• The Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys are tied for sixth in Super Bowl 54 odds

Posting their fourth straight victory, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t wow anybody with a 19-9 verdict over the Washington Redskins on Thursday Night Football. However, the Vikings did improve their odds of winning Super Bowl 54.

Sportsbooks dropped the Vikings down to +1400 in their Super Bowl odds. Minnesota had been at +1600 in this betting market prior to Thursday’s game.

Super Bowl 54 Odds

*Odds taken on October 25, 2019. 

The Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens are all tied for sixth in the Super Bowl 54 betting odds. Minnesota is the only one of those three teams that is not a division leader.

Vikings Kicking it Old School

Well, actually, they’re running it old school – the offense, that is.

In Thursday’s win, the Vikings ran the ball 38 times and passed 26 times. Minnesota averages an NFL-low 26.1 passing attempts per game. The Vikings run the ball on average 32.9 plays per game. That’s #3 overall in the league.

.@dalvincook is just silly. pic.twitter.com/pe7oX5qyNJ

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 25, 2019

In the pass-happy NFL, Minnesota is running an offense straight out of 1973. Running back Dalvin Cook, doing his best Chuck Foreman impression, leads the NFL in rushing with 823 yards and in yards from scrimmage with 1,116. He was a double threat in the win over Washington. Cook carried 23 times for 98 yards and caught five passes for 73 yards.

In thinking outside the box, Minnesota might be on to something. The top seven NFL teams in rushing yardage would all be in the postseason if the playoffs started today. But just three of the top seven passing squads would be playoff participants.

No team has scored less than 20 points when winning a game without a single punt since 2000… until the Vikings tonight (won 19-9).

In fact, the last 10 years such punt-free victors score 40 ppg on average.

That's what happens when you insist on establishing the run.

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 25, 2019

There’s definitely been a change in approach for the Vikings over this four-game winning streak that has them at 6-2. Though they sit 17th in the NFL in time of possession at 29:38, over the past three games Minny has held the ball for an average of 32.:01.

The Vikings didn’t punt at all in Thursday’s win, the first time that’s happened for them since 2004.

Boogying With Cousins

The marriage between the Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins, signed last season to a three-year, $84-million guaranteed contract – the highest such contract ever paid out in NFL history – got off to a rocky start.

Finally, it appears that Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has unearthed a fit for Cousins with the Minnesota offense.

23/26 Comp/Att | 88.5%

Kirk Cousins sets the Vikings record for highest completion percentage in a game (min. 20 att), surpassing Brett Favre ? pic.twitter.com/fhv5LzijqO

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 25, 2019

Thursday, he was 23-of-26 through the air for an 88.5 percent completion percentage, a new single-game franchise record. Best of all, Cousins, who’s fumbled seven times and had been picked off on three occasions this season, didn’t turn the ball over.

.@stefondiggs 452 receiving yards over the last three games is a #Vikings record for most receiving yards in a 3-game span. pic.twitter.com/WMjxMRXVee

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 25, 2019

By putting Cousins into a ball-control offensive scheme, it’s also keeping defenses honest and pulling them up closer to the line of scrimmage. That’s freeing up the downfield pass enough for receiver Stefan Diggs to compile 456 yards on catches over the past three games, also a club record.

Should You Set Sail With Vikings?

Minnesota’s six wins this season are against the Redskins (1-7), Giants (2-5), Lions (2-3-1), Falcons (1-6), Raiders (3-3) and Eagles (3-4).

The Vikings won with no serious injuries and didn't have to open up the playbook much.

Bigger W than the scoreboard will show at 19-9. #Skol

— Dominique Clare (@DomClare) October 25, 2019

The Vikings have yet to beat any team with a winning record and are 0-2 against division rivals Green Bay and Chicago.

Hitching your wagon to Cousins, a guy who’s made 82 career NFL starts and just one of them – a loss – in postseason play, has never proven to be a good strategy for wealth management.