THE FACTS — Week 5 · Sunday, Oct 11, 2026 · 1:00 PM ET (10:00 AM PT) · Caesars Superdome (dome) · non-divisional · rest 7 / 6 days. History from the nflverse games file, 1999-2026. Current season through Week 4. Built Oct 5, 2026, 7:20 AM PT.
1. The line and how it moved
MIN -1.5 · total 42.5 · ML MIN -125 / NO +105 — DraftKings via ESPN, Oct 5, 2026, 7:19 AM PT. On file Oct 5, 2026, 7:02 AM PT: MIN -1.5 / 42.5, ML -125 / +105. The spread and total have not moved. No opener is on file, so "how it opened" is unavailable.
The Mind's line: NO -1 · total 36.5 (Vikings 17.6, Saints 18.8). Gap from the market: 2.7 on the side, 6 on the total. This is a rating-based baseline — non-garbage-time efficiency blended with last season, home field, nothing else. Against the closing line over 2024-2026 (2026 through Week 4) it went 180-186-8 on sides when the two disagreed by 1.5 or more and 204-201-3 on totals when they disagreed by 2 or more: a coin flip. The market's number is the better forecast; a gap of 3 or more is a reason to read on, not a reason to act.