NFL Week 3 Wagering - Vikings Searching For First Victory

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NFL Week 3 Wagering - Vikings Searching For First Victory

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Lane Kiffin and Scott Linehan both will still have jobs this weekend, but someone else in the NFL community was indeed fired – Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. So what does that mean for Minnesota and those doing any NFL betting on them this weekend?

Well, it means that they’ll have to root for Gus Frerotte if they think the Vikings are going to get the better of visiting Carolina on Sunday. Vikings coach Brad Childress announced on Wednesday that the veteran Frerotte would be the team’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season, with Jackson reduced to the role of backup QB.

Jackson got a lot of the blame for the Vikings’ 0-2 start to the season, completing just 30-of-59 pass attempts for 308 yards with one TD, one INT, and a QB rating of 64.8. Those stats aren’t far from Jackson’s weak 2007 effort: nine TDs, 12 INTs, 70.8 rating.

Frerotte played eight games for the Rams last season, and he didn’t exactly light up the league either (seven TDs, 12 INTs, and a QB rating of 58.3). The last time Frerotte played a significant role on a team was back in 2005 for the Dolphins, when he threw for 2,996 yards, with 18 TDs and13 INTs. Frerotte hasn’t thrown a pass for Minny this year.

It remains to be seen whether Frerotte is the answer to the Vikings’ early-season woes, but the oddsmakers at least have them as 3.5-point home favorites versus 2-0 Carolina this weekend. That line could shift by kickoff as bettors begin to scrutinize the new QB.

As for Kiffin and Linehan, their respective teams will be trying to win as big road underdogs this weekend. Kiffin’s 1-1 Raiders will be taking on the 2-0 Bills in Buffalo as 9.5-point underdogs. Linehan’s 0-2 Rams, meanwhile, are 9.5-point road underdogs against the 0-2 Seahawks. St. Louis has only managed to score 16 points on the year.

One other team has scored just 16 points so far this season, and that’s the 0-2 Browns. Derek Anderson and company will try to get the offense rolling when they play in Baltimore against the Ravens on Sunday. The 1-0 Ravens are 2-point home favorites.

The other Ohio team, the Bengals, are 0-2 as well, and they’re stuck on the road against the 2-0 Giants on Sunday. Carson Palmer’s offense has only been able to put up 17 points through two games, an output level which might make it hard for them to cover the 13-point spread the Giants have been given. The game’s total is 41.5 points.

The other big spread on Sunday is New England (-12.5) vs. Miami. The Pats got a win in the first game of their post-Brady era last weekend to run their record to 2-0, while the Dolphins are floundering once again with an 0-2 start to the campaign. Miami QB Chad Pennington didn’t get much going vs. the Cards last week, throwing for just 112 yards.

Rounding out the NFL’s Sunday schedule: Kansas City at Atlanta (-5.5), Tampa Bay at Chicago (-3), Houston at Tennessee (-5), Arizona at Washington (-3), Detroit at San Francisco (-4), New Orleans at Denver (-5.5), Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (-3.5), Jacksonville at Indianapolis (-5), and Dallas (-3) at Green Bay. That Cowboys/Packers game is on Sunday night, and it’s the only matchup featuring a road favorite this week.

Check the BetUS NFL odds section for the latest lines, totals, and props for this week.