NFL Betting: Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings

All teams will play Thursday night and then have a long week to make final preparations for their Week 1 opponents. Still, there are always winning NFL betting opportunities on any given day. Currently at Bodog the Vikings are favored by 4 1/2 with no posted total.

Bookmaker.com has offered the Vikings at -5 and a 34 1/2 total. Be certain to check out all of lines listed on the major books at Donbest Odds.

This game is going to be an opportunity for both coaching staffs to complete roster moves. One of those moves is gong to be at the back up quarterback position where Tebow and Quinn are having a competitive battle.

Starters will see no more than a quarter of action and then the remaining three quarters will see Quinn and Tebow leading the offense. Coach Josh McDaniels has said the backup QB position "remains a competitive situation" so this lends itself to the entire offensive units focused to sustain drives and score points. With that said, perhaps an 'over' play is warranted.

There is no doubt that the Vikings will do everything possible to protect the defensive starting unit. The complete first unit may not even play one snap together based on a growing injury list that now includes projected starting corner back Chris Cook.

NFL Matchup 

The second-round pick out of Virginia was to replace former starter Cedric Griffin, who is rehabbing from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Minnesota will face New Orleans in a Week 1 rematch of last year's NFC Championship Game. The Saints run multiple three- and four-receiver sets so the Vikings cannot afford another loss to the secondary.

Denver will have strong scoring opportunities with either Tebow or Quinn at the helm as they will be matched up against Denver's second and third unit defensive players. So, again the 'over' may be the play for most consideration.

If you like Denver in this game, then you will certainly like this supporting system that has produced a 30-9 ATS mark for 77% winners since 1993. Play on road teams after allowing 3 points or less in the first half last game facing an opponent after a win by 10 or more points. Denver led Pittsburgh 17-3 at the half of their last game and Minnesota won 24-13 over Seattle confirming the criteria for the system.

A strong bet is to consider the football money line play on Denver and is reinforced by the fact that Denver is 13-3 against the money line (+10.7 Units) after failing to cover the spread in two out of their last three games since 1993. Denver failed to cover in the first two games losing at Cincinnati 33-24 as 3 1/2 point dogs and then losing to Detroit at home 25-20 installed as 3 1/2 point favorites. They did cover their last game against Pittsburgh winning at home 24-13 installed as 4 1/2 point favorites.