NFL Week 10 Picks: Vikings Will Give Packers Fits on Monday Night Football

The Minnesota Vikings are not going to beat the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. No way, no how.

The oddsmakers don't think so either. In fact, Bodog has the Packers favored to win by 14 points. Clearly, any man who picks the Vikings to actually win this game is a fool.

But picking the Vikings to beat the spread? That's not such a bad idea.

If you're looking for reasons to be confident in the Vikings, I recommend looking back to the first matchup between these two teams in Week 7. The Packers won the game, but only by six points. The Vikings got a lot of help from Adrian Peterson (24 carries, 175 yards) and a composed performance from Christian Ponder, and it's fair to say they probably caught the Packers by surprise.

I would say that the Packers are going to be ready for the Vikings this time around, but I don't think it really matters what kind of frame of mind the Packers are in. They're the best team in the league, and we can take it for granted that Aaron Rodgers is not going to slow down at any point this season. He's going to do his thing, and the Packers are going to score tons of points.

But the Vikings are going to hang with them. While I don't think Peterson is going to rush for another 175 yards, I think we can all agree that All Day is not one to be contained. He's going to get yards, and I'd wager that he's going to find the end zone at least once.

The pressure will be on Ponder to provide some support for A.D. in the passing game, and I expect him to hold up his end of the bargain. He's not as flashy as fellow rookie Cam Newton, but he's efficient and he's got a good head on his shoulders. He looked poised against the Packers in his first start, and that experience will only help him on Monday night.

Besides, we're talking about a Packers defense that ranks 31st in the NFL against the pass. They will take the football away, but they'll give up yards too. 

What I think you can expect to see in this game is a contest that is very close in the first half, which will no doubt have the Packers and the home crowd feeling a little on edge. In the second half, though, I think the Packers will pull away, but I don't see them shutting the Vikings out either.

In the end, it will be a win for the Packers, but they won't cover.

Packers 31, Vikings 21