Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins Odds, Analysis, NFL Betting Pick

With three covers in their last three games, the Minnesota Vikings are now a quite amazing 36-15 against the spread over their last 51 games. Can they continue that run, and strengthen their playoff positioning, when they rumble with the Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon?

NFL point spread: The Vikings opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 43 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 22.0-20.4 Vikings (NFL picks on every game)

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Why the Vikings can cover the spread

The Vikings ride a four-game winning streak into Sunday, following their 33-16 win over Cleveland in London two weeks ago. They then enjoyed last week off.

Minnesota spotted the Browns an early touchdown and trailed 16-15 midway through the third quarter. But the Vikes ended the game with an 18-0 run and covered as 11-point favorites.

Minnesota outgained Cleveland 375-276 and held a 38-22 advantage in time of possession. So the Vikings have now outgained each of their last six opponents.

At 6-2 overall, Minnesota leads the NFC North by two games over Detroit and Green Bay and trails New Orleans by only a conference tiebreaker in the battle for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Why the Redskins can cover the spread

The Redskins just snapped a two-game losing streak with a 17-14 upset at Seattle last week.

Washington led the Seahawks 10-2 through three quarters, fell down 14-10 late but responded with a four-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, then survived a last-second Hail Mary.

The Redskins got beat on the stat sheet, and they got a little lucky with Seattle missing three field goals. But the Washington defense picked off Russell Wilson twice and stopped two Seahawks two-point conversions.

In the end, wide receiver Josh Doctson made a wonderful diving catch to set up the game-winning score, and a late sack forced Seattle into trying a Hail Mary instead of a long field goal.

At 4-4, the Redskins are only a game behind Dallas in the battle for the second NFC wild-card spot.

Smart pick

Washington just pulled off an upset on the other side of the country last week but could be ripe for a letdown. The Redskins have been outgained and outrushed four of their last five times out, while Minnesota should be fresh after having last week off. Smart money here likes the Vikes.

NFL betting trends

The total has gone over in the Vikings' last five games against the Redskins.

The Redskins are 1-5 ATS in their last six games at home.

The Vikings are 2-6 SU and 1-7 ATS in their last eight games on the road.

All NFL odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.