Vikings vs. Packers Odds Continue to Move Towards Minnesota Following Kirk Cousins Trade

Plenty of NFL teams made a splash at the trade deadline, but the Minnesota Vikings may have made the biggest one, acquiring veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Cousins spent time earlier in his career in Minnesota, and he should slot in as the team's starter in Week 10 against the Gree Bay Packers. That matchup is a major one for the NFC North race and the playoff picture, and the Vikings' odds have shot up across the market after they dealt for Cousins.

The deal for Cousins, which only cost the Vikings a third-round pick had a major impact on their their odds across the betting market, especially when it came to their futures.

Minnesota went from +2400 to +2200 to win the Super Bowl this season at DraftKings Sportsbook, and it also jumped to -250 to make the playoffs. That's significant, as the Vikings have better playoff odds than the Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC. Minnesota started the season 6-0, but back-to-back losses to Detroit and Buffalo have dropped it to third in the NFC North.

In Week 10, the Vikings are underdogs against the Packers, but that line has actually kept moving in their favor since the Cousins deal. Following Monday's loss to Buffalo, DraftKings Sportsbook had moved the Vikings to 4.5-point underdogs on the road after they opened as three-point underdogs. The line shifted to 3.5 on Wednesday, and it's now back down to the original number -- Vikings +3 -- on Thursday. The line is moving despite DraftKings reporting that just 38 percent of the spread bets in this game are on Minnesota.

"Without a doubt the big mover was the Vikings and Kirk Cousins,” Ty Gour, Sports Trader at Fanatics Sportsbook, told Sports Illustrated about the biggest deal at the deadline. “It wasn't a huge shift odds-wise. They went from +2600 to +2200 in the Super Bowl odds, +1200 to +950 in the NFC and the NFC North was +400 to +330. And what that did for our power ratings, it essentially leveled the Lions, Packers and Vikings, pretty much grouping them all into one bunch.

“The kind of the reason for that is there's a pretty good chance that they're going to cannibalize each other down the stretch here. So, we don't want to really jump and call one team a playoff team or Super Bowl contender because the reality is that the division is so tough.”

This season, Cousins had led the Raiders to a 4-5 start, throwing for 2,340 yards, 20 scores and eight picks. He should be a massive upgrade at quarterback for a Vikings team that is 31st in the NFL in EPA/Play on offense and 30th in success rate.

Even though the Packers have won five of their last six games, oddsmakers clearly believe that the Vikings -- and their elite defense -- have a chance in this matchup. It's possible this line could come down further before kickoff on Sunday.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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