Vikings vs. Falcons prediction, odds, spread, injuries, trends for NFL Week 9

The Atlanta Falcons officially Taylor Heinicke's team as Arthur Smith announced on Wednesday that he will be their starting quarterback on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

He'll face-off against Jaren Hall or Joshua Dobbs of the Vikings, with Kirk Cousins officially on injured reserve with a torn Achilles. It's a pivotal game for the Falcons who are tied atop the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints at 4-4.

If you want my best bet for every game on the Week 9 slate, you can find them in the latest edition of the Road to 272 Bets here.

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Vikings vs. Falcons odds, spread, and total

Vikings vs. Falcons betting trends

• Vikings are 4-1 ATS in their last five games
• The UNDER is 6-0 in the Vikings' last six games
• Vikings are 4-1 ATS in their last five games vs. Falcons
• The UNDER is 8-1 in the Vikings' last nine games played in Atlanta
• Vikings are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against NFC South opponents
• Falcons are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games
• Falcons are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games vs. NFC North opponents

Vikings vs. Falcons injury reports

Minnesota Vikings injury report

• Jalen Nailor - WR - IR-R
• Dean Lowry - DE - Questionable
• Brian Asamoah - LB - Questionable
• Kene Nwangwu - RB - Questionable
• Kirk Cousins - QB - IR

Atlanta Falcons injury report

• LaCale London - DE - Questionable
• Keith Smith - FB - Questionable
• Tae Davis - LB - Questionable
• Grady Jerrett - DE - IR
• Drake London - WR - Questionable

Vikings vs. Falcons how to watch

• Date: Sunday, November 5
• Game Time: 1:00 pm EST
• Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): FOX
• Minnesota Vikings Record: 4-4
• Atlanta Falcons Record: 4-4

Vikings vs. Falcons key players to watch

Minnesota Vikings

Jordan Addison: We don't yet know if it's going to be Jaren Hall or Joshua Dobbs starting at quarterback for the Vikings this week, but no matter who it is, Jordan Addison needs to step up in a big way to help this offense out. The Minnesota offense is a shell of its former self, so even more of the extra load will be on the shoulders of Addison.

Atlanta Falcons

Taylor Heinicke: There's no question who the player to watch this week is. Taylor Heinicke will be getting his first start with the Falcons as the Desmond Ridder experiment gets put on the back burner. He put a breath of life into the Falcons offense in the second half against the Titans last week and now it's time to see if he can lead them to a key win against the Vikings.

Vikings vs. Falcons prediction and pick

It's hard to justify a bet on the Vikings. We're talking about an offense on the road without Justin Jefferson or Kirk Cousins. Jaren Hall, the rookie fifth-round pick from BYU will likely get the start. Yes, the Falcons were torched by a rookie last week, but we can't put Hall in the same category as Will Levis.

The Falcons may just be better than their record indicates as well. They're 12th in the NFL in Net Yards per Play at +0.2, but they need to stop turning the ball over. Their 30th-ranked average turnover margin per game of -0.9 is killing them this season. Now, with Heinicke under center, this offense is going to be that much more explosive and he'll also, hopefully, be able to hold on to the ball and not turn it over.

I'm going to back the Falcons and hope the Heinicke experience gets off to a hot start.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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