Bears vs. Vikings Pick
Will the Minnesota Vikings have any resistance from the Chicago Bears when the two close out the regular season today at 1PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Minnesota is the clear favorite in this game, as the Vikings are getting odds of -12 points against the Bears. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 38.5 points. Minnesota has won five of its last six meetings with the Bears, but Chicago is 4-3 against the spread in the last seven encounters. The public betting in this game has 69 percent of the wagers going on the Vikings at home. Today’s game takes place from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will air live on FOX.
Chicago is coming off a 20-3 win over the Browns last weekend for just their fifth win of the year. The Bears are 5-10 on the season and 7-7-1 against the spread. The Bears have covered in two of their last three games. Chicago is putting up just 16.9 points and 311 yards per game on offense. Mitchell Trubisky has struggled in his rookie year, throwing for just 2,015 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. Jordan Howard is leading the offense with 1,113 rushing yards and nine scores. Defensively, Chicago is holding opponents to only 19.8 points and 336.5 yards per game. Akiem Hicks has 51 tackles with 8.5 sacks to lead the team.
Minnesota is 12-3 on the season and looking to lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs with a win this afternoon. Minnesota is 11-4 against the spread, covering in nine of their last 10 games. The Vikings are holding opponents to just 16.1 points and 297.2 yards per game this year while the offense is putting up 23.9 points and 370 yards per contest. Case Keenum has had a great year as the backup QB, throwing for 3,358 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon have combined for 1,257 rushing yards and nine scores while Adam Thielen has 85 catches for 1,215 yards and four scores. Defensively, Everson Griffen is leading the team with 44 tackles and 13 sacks.
The Vikings need a win to lock up that bye next week, which is crucial. The Minnesota defense is sure not to take the week off, as they have been dominant all year and now get to face the Bears. Chicago is a mess on offense and Trubisky has struggled heavily at times. He should face a lot of pressure today and that will lead to short fields for the Minnesota offense. Look for the Vikings to cruise on into the playoffs.
NFL WEEK 17 PREDICTION: MINNESOTA VIKINGS -12