Matt Temple-Marsh previews Thursday night's NFL action, with Minnesota Vikings hosting Los Angeles Chargers.
NFL betting tips: Minnesota Vikings v Los Angeles Chargers
2pts Carson Wentz over 10.5 rushing yards at 10/11 (bet365)
2pts Oronde Gadsden over 42.5 receiving yards at 10/11 (bet365)
1pt Carson Wentz over 10.5 rushing yards and Oronde Gadsden over 42.5 receiving yards at 13/5 (bet365)
1pt Oronde Gadsden 70+ receiving yards at 15/4 (bet365)
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Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Chargers
- Kick-off time: Friday, 01:20 GMT
- TV: Sky Sports Main Event
- Spread: Vikings +3 at 10/11
- Total: Over 44.5 at 5/6
Week eight of the 2025 NFL season kicks off with the Minnesota Vikings travelling to Los Angeles to face the Chargers – two very inconsistent teams.
The Vikings fabled defence led by DC Brian Flores is struggling for consistent output – with shaky offence putting extra strain on that side of the ball. JJ McCarthy has missed time but when he’s on the field he’s shown just how raw he is.
Then back-up Carson Wentz has shown why he’s a back-up, with a host of interceptions. Wentz is at the helm for at least one more week, as he tries to cement his place as the starter whilst McCarthy develops.
Los Angeles remain dangerous on offence thanks to Justin Herbert and a wealth of surprising receiving weapons, but their defence has been poor - conceding big drives and repeatedly getting torched over recent weeks.
The Chargers lost convincingly in Week 7 (38–24), despite big offensive numbers, which underlines this mismatch between offensive output and defensive performance.
Oronde Gadsden emerging
Rookie tight end and the son of a former NFL great Oronde Gadsden has emerged as a secret weapon in this Chargers offence. Last week was his coming out party, with a huge 7 catch, 164 yard and 1 TD performance.
Over the past two weeks he’s seen 16 targets, hauling in 14 – that’s a 25.7% target share, showing he’s secured the trust from his quarterback. That’s great news in a high-volume passing attack.
His line is set at just 42.5 – in the last two weeks he’s logged games of 68 and 164 yards. Minnesota have a solid defence, but they’ve shown vulnerability to mismatches in the intermediate to tight ends and slot receivers. This is a plus spot for Gadsden.
Carson Wentz rushing
Wentz’s rushing line is set at just 10.5 for this game, which feels low for an athletic quarterback. The Chargers defence has given up the third most rushing yards to quarterbacks so far this season.
In his last three games Wentz has racked up 12 yards, 13 yards and 28 rushing yard games – and over his entire career his average rush yards per game clocks in at 14.0.
Posted at 1310 BST on 22/10/25
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