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Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears Betting Preview

Monday Night Football features an NFC North rivalry as the Minnesota Vikings (3-5) will take on the Chicago Bears (5-4) at Soldier Field in Chicago. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 pm ET.

This is a battle of two teams trending in opposite directions. For the Vikings, after starting 1-5, they have now won two in a row. They have relied heavily on the resurgence of Dalvin Cook, who has struggled with injuries at times throughout his career, but he has rushed for a combined 369 yards over the last two games.

The Bears, meanwhile, have been a train wreck as of late. After starting the season 5-1, they have now lost three straight. In those three games, they have averaged just under 17 points a game. While their stout defense has kept them in every game, Nick Foles and the offense has struggled mightily.

The Vikings are currently the favorite in this one despite playing on the road. They are -178 to win while the Bears’ moneyline sits at +150. The spread features the Bears +3.5 while the over/under for total points is 43.5. 

By The Numbers

Offensively, the Vikings hold a big advantage in this one. In terms of scoring, they rank 12th in the NFL, averaging 27.1 points per game. The Bears fall to 29th overall at just 19.8 points.

Defensively, the roles are reversed. Chicago ranks 7th overall allowing an average of just 21.1 points per game to opponents. The Vikings are allowing 29.2 points per game, good for 25th overall.

Vikings Look To Run All Over Bears’ Defense

While they have weapons in the passing game, the Vikings know their strength is on the ground. Minnesota is currently the third-best rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 160.4 yards per game. They will look to get the rushing attack going against the Bears’ 14th ranked rushing defense (allowing 116.9 yards per game on the ground).

To do that, they will lean heavily on Dalvin Cook. On the season, Cook has rushed 144 times for 858 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also has 16 receptions for 173 yards and another score.

Under center, the Vikings are led by Kirk Cousins. He will look to buck his trend of never having won a Monday Night Football game in this one. He has thrown for 1,855 yards, 15 touchdowns, and ten interceptions on the season, with his best receivers being Adam Thielen (37 receptions, 480 yards, seven touchdowns) and Justin Jefferson (34 receptions, 627 yards, three touchdowns).

Bears Hoping For Better MNF Showing

The last time the Bears played on Monday Night Football, they were embarrassed in a 24-10 loss. Despite it just being a two-touchdown separation in score, it never seemed that close.

The trend lately has been the Bears’ defense keeps them in the game while the offense seems to lose it for them. Under center, Nick Foles has been disappointing since taking over for Mitch Trubisky. On the season, he has thrown for 1,746 yards, ten touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

His two best receivers have been Allen Robinson (57 receptions, 712 yards, three scores) and Jimmy Graham (35 receptions, 302 yards, five touchdowns), but keep an eye on Darnell Mooney, who has shown the ability to get behind the secondary for the deep ball.

The biggest concern for the offense has been the rushing game. The Bears come in with an offensive line that has been pieced together due to injury and will be without starting running back David Montgomery (concussion). Thus, they will rely on Ryan Nall, Cordelle Patterson, and Lamar Miller for backfield duties.

Taking Vikings To Win And Cover

The Bears defense has been solid this season and will likely keep their team in the ball game in this one, at least early on. However, the problem is that they just can’t score on offense with any sort of consistency.

With Minnesota playing so well and the Bears’ offense in shambles, I have a tough time picking against the Vikings in this one. It might be close for most of the game, but by the time it is all over, I think Minnesota will not only win but will cover the 3.5 point spread.

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