If you are the Minnesota Vikings, you are probably thankful that you're playing on turkey day, because you can quickly put last week's game against the Dallas Cowboys in your rearview mirror.

BetOnline customers may have witnessed a butchering on Sunday, as the Vikings compiled just 183 yards, gave up 458, allowed their quarterback to be sacked seven times and looked like imposters rather than contenders. The final score of 40-3 was very indicative of how the game went.

But the Vikings, at 8-2 (4-5-1 against the spread) are still firmly in command in the NFC North, and they had better get their act together against the more formidable teams on their schedule. Maybe one of them is the New England Patriots, who are their guests for T-Giving. 

There are some who remain skeptical of this team, even after coming back from 17 points down against Buffalo, because a lot of breaks w.ent their way. And that may be a microcosm for their season, as they have caught some scheduling breaks and come into this contest six games over the .500 mark but having been outscored by two points overall.

This game will kick off at 8:20 PM ET on NBC.

The Vikings are slight favorites in the NFL Thanksgiving betting lines posted at BetOnline.

Minnesota Vikings -2.5
New England Patriots +2.5

Over 42.5 Points -110
Under 42.5 Points -110

The Patriots didn't have the easiest time last week either, as they ran into an aroused New York Jets defense and were unable to score a touchdown from scrimmage. The game was tied 3-3 when the Jets punted away, expecting New England to just take a knee and go to overtime. Instead, Marcus Jones caught the punt and returned it 84 yards for a touchdown. He crossed the goal line with five seconds remaining. That was certainly a backbreaker for the Jets, and very good fortune for New England.

Coach Bill Belichick was looking for an explosive return man, and that's the reason he selected Jones on the third round out of the University of Houston, where he set an NCAA record for the most return touchdowns. So maybe we should consider him a factor in Thursday's matchup.

Mac Jones was not as erratic as he often is, completing 23 of 27 passes for 246 yards. The problem is he just couldn't get his team in the end zone. The Patriots have some characteristics that could give Minnesota trouble, including a ground game that, at its best, can be a real bruiser behind Damien Harris and the talented Rhamondre Stevenson. And you wonder what kind of defensive formula Belichick is going to cook up to deal with Justin Jefferson, who was held to three receptions for 33 yards against Dallas.

This is obviously the first Thanksgiving Day game for Kevin O'Connell, who is in his first season as head coach with the Vikings. Does his inexperience mean a big disadvantage? Perhaps it does. So does the historic performances of Cousins in prime time. But if you wipe away the Monday night games he's played, he's actually got an even slate at 8-8.

We do consider Minnesota to be somewhat "for real" for summoning up enough heart to come back big against Buffalo. So we are not going to call them fake news. And considering that this is the NFL, where everybody's a pro and sometimes those pros get embarrassed and come back with a huge effort, we will definitely expect the Vikings to be on their toes. That's actually a major reason we will be laying the points with the home team in this one.

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