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Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns NFL Picks & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on September 9, 2009

vikes browns 9909 Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre (man that sounds funny) will make his 17th consecutive Week 1 start this Sunday when the Vikes take on the Browns in Cleveland Stadium. While Browns head man Eric Mangini has made his decision, the public is still in the dark on who will be starting at quarterback for Cleveland. Either signal caller figures to have his hands full against one of the best defenses in the league. The Vikings and the Browns last met in 2005 with Minnesota earning a 24-12 victory. The Vikings have won three straight in the series and are 9-3 all-time against Cleveland. Minnesota looked very impressive in the preseason as well, finishing with a 3-1 record. Not surprisingly, football odds makers have listed the Minnesota Vikings as a 4-point road favorite with the total set at 40.

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When watching the preseason, sometimes it looked like Favre still has it and sometimes it looked like he didn’t. The legendary QB figures to still have some rust in the opener, having not made the decision to come back until the preseason was already underway. While I know the Vikings want the running game, led by Adrian Peterson, to remain the focal point of the offense, it will be interesting to see how Favre’s shoulder holds up over the course of the season, especially if he takes any hard hits on it. Doctors discovered that Favre still has a partial tear in his rotator cuff. I don’t anticipate the Vikings offense being a well-oiled machine yet under Favre and that’s where the vaunted defense comes in. The Vikings will once again be expecting a big season from Jared Allen, whose 57.5 sacks the last 5 seasons are the most in the league during that span. It is also worth mentioning that the Browns are 0-4 against the spread in their last 4 games in Week 1. If you like Minnesota to start off the season on a strong note, bet the Vikings at -4 at BetUS.

The big question we are all asking surrounding the Browns is who Mangini has chosen as starter. The Browns head man is on every media members hit list right now as he has kept the information confidential to hinder the Vikings game plan. Derek Anderson is more proven, but Brady Quinn may have the better upside. I personally think Quinn will be the guy. He shined in a 23-17 win over the Titans in Week 2 of the preseason, connecting on 11 of 15 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. I’m also interested in how the Browns revamped defense will look under Mangini. Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers will be pivotal in slowing down Minnesota’s running attack. The betting public is on the Vikings early, but it is worth noting that the Browns are 5-0-1 against the spread in their last 6 games as an underdog of 3.5-10 points. If you think Cleveland is a dangerous home dog this week, bet the Browns at +4 at Bookmaker.

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If you want a free opinion on this game, check out the Vikings/Browns picks offered by Craig Trapp.

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