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In search of their sixth victory of the season after winning just three times in 2011, the Minnesota Vikings will welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Mall of America Field on Thursday night for a showcase game televised on NFL Network.
The Vikings have won four of their last five games and sport a perfect 4-0 record at home this season, but the visiting Bucs will enter with a bit of history on their side after winning the last five meetings between the two teams. To make matters even more interesting, Tampa Bay is also 5-0 against the spread over that same span.
Yet to win a road game this season, the 2-4 Bucs are giving up 323 passing yards per game to opposing offenses so far after six games. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees shredded the Bucs' secondary for 377 yards through the air and four touchdowns in Week 7, meaning that Vikings signal caller Christian Ponder should have plenty of opportunities to exploit Tampa Bay's defense this week.
Spread: Vikings -6