The Minnesota Vikings may be 4-7, but they've been playing competitive football lately. Coming off consecutive wins, the Vikings played to within one score of the Chicago Bears and the mighty Green Bay Packers over the last two weeks, earning the respect of NFL experts. That respect has manifested itself in the fact that the overwhelming majority of panelists are picking Minnesota to beat the Carolina Panthers this Sunday.
Panthers vs. Vikings 2014 picks and predictions: Minnesota favored at home
Despite a pair of losses, the Vikings look to be on the upswing. The Panthers, well, don’t.
No, it's not exactly a huge compliment. The Panthers haven't won a game in their last six tries and somehow find themselves in third place in an NFC South led by the 4-7 Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. The once-mighty defense has been faulty, Cam Newton is having a terrible season, and he's getting little help from a group of ragtag receivers and injured running backs.
Carolina is coming out of a bye, for what it’s worth, and does have a win over the same Bears team that dropped the Vikings in Week 11.
Only three of ESPN’s 13 experts are going with the Panthers, while two each from Fox Sports and CBS Sports picked them. At SB Nation, only Joel Thorman picked Carolina.
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | PFT Commenter | Matt Ufford | OddsShark Computer | |
| CAR vs MIN | MIN | MIN | CAR | MIN | MIN | MIN | MIN | MIN |
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