Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings, 12/14/18 Predictions & Odds

Dolphins vs. Vikings Total Prediction

Two teams vying for a playoff berth in their respective conference will meet in Minnesota on Sunday when the Miami Dolphins visit the Vikings at 1:00 p.m. ET. With the Vikings firing their offensive coordinator earlier this week, will the game be low-scoring?

Game Snapshot

307 Miami Dolphins at 308 Minnesota Vikings

1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 16

U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Public Betting Trends

According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Vikings are 7.5-point favorites to beat the Dolphins. The total, meanwhile, sits at 44.5 points. As of this writing, 59% of the public betting tickets are on the Dolphins to cover the point spread.

Miami Dolphins

Dolphins coach Adam Gase said Ryan Tannehill (ankle) is "sore" but "walking around." Tannehill missed time in Miami's win over the Patriots because of an ankle injury and was clearly hobbled after he returned. It sounds like that remains the case on Monday, but Gase did not seem concerned about his quarterback's availability for this week's matchup with the Vikings. Even coming off back-to-back three-touchdown games, Tannehill will not be an exciting streamer in that spot.

Minnesota Vikings

Kirk Cousins completed 20-of-33 passes for 208 yards and one touchdown in the Vikings' 21-7, Week 14 loss to the Seahawks on Monday night. Cousins came up with more than a third of his passing yards on the final meaningless drive with the Vikings down 21-0. He also threw a short score to Dalvin Cook to cap it off and avoid the shutout. Cousins had 27 passing yards at halftime. His longest play of the night was a 48-yard shot to Stefon Diggs, but the Vikings later turned it over on downs that drive, failing from the two-yard line in the third quarter. Cousins also lost a fumble on a strip-sack that was returned for a touchdown late in the game. He was under pressure all night and had nowhere to go with the ball. Cousins has been held to 201 and 2018 yards the last two weeks in losses at New England and Seattle. He'll try to rebound next week at home against the Dolphins.

NFL Betting Trends

Miami

The over is 4-0 in the Dolphins’ last four games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.

Minnesota

The under is 5-0 in the Vikings’ last five games played in the month of December.

Prediction

The under is 4-1 in the Dolphins’ last five games overall and is 6-1 in their last seven road games. With Tannehill banged-up, it could be difficult for Miami to move the ball against the stout Minnesota defense. On the other side, the under is 5-1 in the Vikings’ last six games overall, is 5-1 in their last six home games and is 23-11 in their last 34 games versus an opponent with a winning record. I expect Minnesota to keep the ball on the ground a lot trying to establish a running game and with that, the clock should be moving and the scoring should be held in check.

NFL Week 15 Prediction: Dolphins/Vikings under 44.5