Bears vs. Vikings Total Pick
Will the Minnesota Vikings lock up the Chicago Bears when the two NFC North rivals meet up Sunday at 1PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Minnesota is the clear favorite in this game, as the Vikings are getting odds of -11.5 points against the Bears. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 39.5 points. Minnesota has won five of its last six meetings with the Bears and the two have hit the under in seven of their last 10 encounters. The public betting in this game has 58 percent of the wagers going on the Vikings at home. Sunday’s game takes place from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will air live on FOX.
Minnesota is 12-3 on the season and looking to lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs with a win on Sunday. Minnesota has won two straight and hit the under in their last two as well. The Vikings are 8-7 with the under in 2017. 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.
Chicago is coming off a 20-3 win over the Browns for just their fifth win of the year. The Bears are 5-10 on the season and they are 11-4 with the under this season after hitting it in five straight 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.
The first meeting this year saw Minnesota win 20-17 in Chicago. I could see a similar-type game this week. While the Vikings have a lot to play for and Chicago doesn’t, the Bears defense is till a pretty good unit. They have managed to keep the team in the game despite an inept offense. Chicago won’t be able to do much on the Minnesota defense on Sunday, but I think Keenum and company will struggle somewhat as well.
NFL WEEK 17 PREDICTION: BEARS/VIKINGS UNDER 39.5
