Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Betting Preview
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
When: Monday, October 31, 2016, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Minnesota Vikings (-6) at Chicago Bears (+6); total: 40.5 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Minnesota Vikings (-6)
We no longer have an unbeaten team in the NFL, as the Minnesota Vikings suffered their first loss of the season Sunday on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, 21-10.
Minnesota’s Sam Bradford played much like his erratic self last year as Philly’s QB. He was picked off for the first time this season, lost two fumbles, and finished just 24-of-41 for 224 passing yards and one touchdown. Much of the blame can be pointed at the O-line, though, as Bradford was sacked six times and was constantly under pressure in the pocket.
The battle in the trenches must be won by the Vikings next Monday night, as the Bears have 15 sacks for the season (10th-most in the NFL). The running game also needs to gain more ground with better blocking upfront, as the Vikes had less than a hundred yards rushing with a subpar 3.4 yards-per-carry clip against the Eagles.
What’s got to be promising for the Vikings, still, is that their defense bent but was never really broken on Sunday. The D still picked off Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz twice, as well as forced four fumbles and recovered a couple of them.
All things considered, we don’t really expect Minnesota to buckle down again at Soldier Field in Week 8, as the team has won seven of the last nine meetings against the Bears in the Windy City (8-1 ATS).
Betting on the Chicago Bears (+6)
Much like the Vikings, the Chicago Bears had a brutal loss on the road, falling to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday, 26-10.
But unlike Minnesota, the Bears are in much bleaker shape heading into Week 8’s Monday night clash. Brian Hoyer left the second quarter of Thursday’s game with a broken arm, and now he’s bound to miss most of the regular season at that. Third-string quarterback, Matt Barkley, was far from what the team wanted in place of Hoyer, as the fourth-year backup finished with 81 yards on 6-of-15 passing along with two interceptions.
Chicago simply cannot muster up points on a weekly basis, as they have the second-worst scoring offense in the league (less than 16 points per game). Even the running game was basically absent on Thursday, having racked up just 69 yards on the ground against the Packers’ second-best run defense in the NFL. Now the offensive line will have to deal with Minnesota’s fourth-best run defense in the league.
The only touchdown that the Bears got was a strip-sack of Aaron Rodgers that was returned to the end zone. And even with that, it’s not likely that they’ll get more points from the D that often, as they have only seven takeaways for the season – two fewer than the turnovers given up by their own offense.
The Bears also haven’t enjoyed any home-field advantage at Soldier Field in recent games. They’re just 2-8 (3-7 ATS) in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Vikings (-6) rebound from their ugly loss in Week 7, 27-17.
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