NFL Betting – Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

Teams heading in opposite directions tangle in a NFC North battle when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. Fighting for the division lead just a few weeks ago, the Bears have dropped three in a row thanks to a woeful offense that hasn’t done anything. The Vikings recovered from a slow start to win their last two games with NFL rushing leader Dalvin Cook leading the way. Chicago has won the last four meetings holding the Vikings to 20 points or less in each game. The Bears will need another outstanding effort from their defense in order to extend that streak.  Bookmaker.eu is offering a generous welcome bonus (max bonus $1600).

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Date and Time: Monday, November 16, 2020, 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
NFL Odds: Minnesota -3, O/U 43.5
Vikings at Bears TV Coverage: ESPN

Odds Analysis

Recent results forced a drastic swing in the line. Chicago hit the board as a 2.5-point favorite with the spread jumping the fence in favor of the Vikings, who are currently laying 3-points. It’s not a total surprise the betting public is backing the visitors, who won and covered the last two weeks against division foes Detroit and Green Bay. The Vikings have payouts in five of their last six games while also cashing the OVER five times in that span. Bettors don’t have a lot of confidence in the Bears, who are catching points for the ninth time in 10 games if the line holds. They failed to cover the 6.5-point spread in last week’s 24-17 loss to Tennessee dropping to 5-4 ATS. The Bears average less than 20 points per game with the UNDER 5-1 in their last six outings. The total was wagered down to 43.5 after opening at 46.5.

Minnesota Vikings

Which team is going to show up for this game is the big question. After dropping their first three and five of six to open the season, the Vikings have at least made things interesting by winning the last two games. Cook is a major reason for the turnaround rushing for 206 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 34-20 win over Detroit to take over as the NFL’s rushing leader. During the winning streak he’s run for 369 yards averaging over seven yards per carry with five touchdowns.

Running the football also allowed Kirk Cousins to settle into a groove. After throwing 10 interceptions in his first six games, Cousins went pick-less in the last two with four scoring passes while completing 70.6 percent of his throws. The Vikings haven’t had a lot of success against Chicago’s defense, though, averaging only 13.8 points over the last four meetings. Cook has struggled as much as anyone. He hasn’t rushed for more than 39 yards in any of three games and averages just 2.5 yards per carry in 34 career attempts against the Bears.

The Vikings have holes defensively, though stopping Chicago hasn’t been a problem for most teams. Minnesota can improve on the NFL’s 29th ranked total defense and will need to keep Chicago off the scoreboard. They’ve allowed the fewest points in a game over the last two and surrender 29.3 points per game on the season.

Chicago Bears

Defense might win championships but at some point the guys on the other side of the football have to start doing their part. Matt Nagy took a significant step in changing things up by handing play-calling duties to coordinator Bill Lazor starting with Monday’s game. “Sometimes change can be good in that regard, so again, none of it was for a particular reason other than we’ve just been struggling, and I feel like it’s the best thing for this team,” Nagy said.

Struggling is an understatement. The Bears rank 31st in yards per play and third-down conversions, and 29th in points per game and yards per carry. The switch to Nick Foles hasn’t produced the desired results with some in the Windy City calling for Mitchell Trubisky to get his old starting gig back. The inability to run the ball put Foles in a tough spot last week with 52 pass attempts against the Titans. And the Bears will be without leading rusher David Montgomery.

The Bears rank among the top-10 in total defense and scoring defense, but the numbers go beyond that. Their red zone defense is by far the best in the league allowing opponents a touchdown on 41.9 percent of their trips. They’re also No. 1 in third-down defense, which is why they are still above .500 despite a terrible offense.

Bet Vikings at Bears at BookMaker.eu

Getting a few offensive linemen back off the COVID list should help Chicago’s offense, and the change allowing Lazor to call plays is something that should revive the group. Minnesota has been generous on the defensive side giving the Chicago the chance to break out of their slumber. I don’t expect a lot of points, but I do anticipate the Bears making a splash to break their losing skid in an outright victory.

NFL Score Prediction: Bears 23, Vikings 17

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com