Get ready for Monday Night Football! Explore the latest odds and expert picks for the Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings matchup. Don’t miss out!
The Chicago Bears have been absolutely dreadful since a 4-2 start. Chicago was favored to make the playoffs per the NFL futures odds at that point, but the Bears have since lost seven straight games and will miss out on the postseason once again. They have been particularly bad away from the Windy City to boot with an 0-6 record outside of Chicago. Now, they will look to beat the 11=2 Minnesota Vikings, but that’s a tall task considering the Vikings knocked off the bears in Chicago a few weeks ago despite a furious rally from the Bears with 10 points in the final 22 seconds.
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Week 15 Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Chicago Bears +7
Minnesota Vikings -7
Total 44
There has been some action on Minnesota since the opening NFL odds were released on Sunday. The Vikings were initially favored by just 5.5 points, but that number has gone up although the juice is in favor of Chicago. As for the total, that number has increased from 42.5 points to 44 points as the week has progressed.
Chicago Bears Overview
Rookie Caleb Williams has nice numbers at first glance. Williams has completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,746 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He is averaging just 6.3 YPA though and has been sacked a whopping 56 times. Additionally, a lot of his numbers have been the result of stat padding in garbage time, as the Bears have made a habit of making a game of it late.
D’Andre Swift has been a disappointment with a capital D. Swift was signed from Philadelphia in the offseason, but he has not been nearly as effective in Chicago. He has run for just 742 yards and five touchdowns, and he is averaging just 3.8 YPC. Roschon Johnson has been even worse, averaging just 2.9 YPC, but neither Swift nor Johnson may be available due to injury. If that is the case, Travis Homer will see more of a workload.
There was plenty of fanfare about Williams’ options in the passing game coming into the season, but the Bears might not have a single 1,000-yard receiver although only one of the top four options has missed any time due to injury. D.J. Moore is currently the top option with 68 receptions for 712 yards and five touchdowns, but rookie Rome Odunze is the only other player with more than 500 receiving yards.
Defensively, the Bears have been rather fortunate. They rank 30th in yards per play (5.9 YPP) and 24th in total defense (352.8 YPG). However, Chicago ranks 10th in scoring defense, surrendering just 21.4 PPG. A great red zone defense has been the main reason behind this fortuitousness, but the secondary is a concern with two starters on injured reserve.
Minnesota Vikings Overview
Sam Darnold continues to thrive in Minnesota this season. Darnold was considered washed up and was expected to back up J.J. McCarthy for the Vikings, but instead he has this team poised to make the playoffs. Darnold has completed 68.4% of his passes for 3,299 yards (8.5 YPA) with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He is coming off a five-touchdown game against Atlanta last week, and Darnold has thrown 11 touchdowns with no interceptions over the last four weeks.
Justin Jefferson has been the top target as expected with 75 receptions for 1,170 yards and seven touchdowns, but Jordan Addison is having a very nice season too. Minnesota’s first-round pick last year has 44 catches for 708 yards and seven touchdowns, and he stepped up in a big way with tight end T.J. Hockenson injured.
Former Gren Bay running back Aaron Jones has run for 893 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.5 YPC, but Cam Akers might be the starting running back on Monday night with Jones questionable because of a back injury.
Minnesota is allowing 18.5 PPG to rank sixth in the NFL in scoring defense. The run defense ranks in the top five, surrendering 3.9 YPC and 87.2 YPG on the ground, and the secondary ranks first in interceptions forced. That’s something to keep in mind against a rookie quarterback.
Monday Night Football Prediction
I’m more than happy to lay the points with the Vikings considering how well Darnold and Minnesota have been playing recently. Chicago is ready to pack it in after seven straight losses, and I doubt the Bears will be as resilient as they were in this spot a few weeks ago.
Final Score: Minnesota 31, Chicago 20
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