San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings Betting Odds, Preview and Prediction

San Francisco almost never wins in Minnesota, but this game isn't like past matchups where the Vikings were actually a good team.

The 49ers look to continue their dominance over the NFC with a win against the Vikings this Sunday at the Metrodome and they face a manageable seven-point road point spread, according to the comparative NFL odds display at OddsShark.com.

But they are just 1-7 ATS in eight trips here since 1980, giving some historical hope to what could be a hysterical game.

Picking up right where they left off in the 2011 regular season, the San Francisco 49ers have been a force through the first two games of the season. After going 13-3 and 11-4-1 ATS in their first year under Coach Jim Harbaugh last year, the 49ers are off to a 2-0 start this year with convincing eight-point wins over Detroit and Green Bay.

Looking great on both sides of the ball, the 49ers currently look like the team to beat in the NFC, and they are the new betting favorite on Super Bowl future odds menus at 5/1.

For Minnesota, the 2012 season has been a wild ride. The Vikings narrowly escaped a loss in their season opener with a late field goal to send the game into overtime against Jacksonville, but were the victims of a late field goal last week when Adam Vinatieri won the game in the closing seconds for Indianapolis.

With an 0-2 ATS record to kick off the season, Minnesota is still looking for its first cover of the year. The team is 0-5 ATS in its past five home games, too.

With no disrespect meant to the Minnesota Vikings, this is the type of game that will simply come down to how much effort San Francisco puts into it. The 49ers have already shown us that they can go into Green Bay and beat the elite Packers and that they could hold the Lions without a touchdown for the majority of the game Sunday night.

But every team has off games, and this could be a letdown spot for the 49ers as they look ahead to the Jets in Week 4. We saw Arizona upset New England last week to remind us all of that.

With two big emotional wins in a row and a meeting next week against the tough defense of the New York Jets, isn’t it possible that the 49ers overlook the lowly Vikings? Getting seven points at home on a team that seems to have a knack for late game theatrics, we like Adrian Peterson and Minnesota to get a surprising cover. 

PICK: Minnesota +7 (courtesy of PickShark.com)