Monday Night Football Betting Preview and Best Bet: Vikings at Bears
The “Bad News Bears” have lost seven of their last eight games heading into a Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Will Monday Night Football bring more bad news for the Bears, or will Chicago put up a fight and threaten to derail the playoff hopes of their NFC North rival? The Vikings sit at 6-7, right in the thick of the NFC playoff race.
The Vikings, who are just 2-5 on the road this season, will face off with their division foe twice in the next three weeks. In Week 15, Justin Fields and the Bears will play host to Dalvin Cook and the Vikings, looking to snap a four-game home losing streak.
Minnesota, in addition to making a playoff push, will aim to further reward bettors by improving its 4-3 against the spread (ATS) mark on the road. The Vikings, who are 4-2 ATS over their last six games, are 2-1 ATS when oddsmakers have listed them as favorites this season.
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The Bears, who are 2-4 SU at Soldier Field in 2021, have also burned bettors with a 2-4 ATS mark over that span. Chicago, which is 1-7 SU over their last eight, has yielded a financial windfall for bettors that have chosen to fade Matt Nagy: The Bears have produced an identical 1-7 ATS mark over that stretch.
Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has a 15-10-1 career record against the NFC North, has struggled immensely under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, winning just once in 10 games (1-9 SU).
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Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Betting Trends & Info
Spread: Minnesota Vikings -6 (-110) | Chicago Bears +6 (-110)
Moneyline: Minnesota (-275) | Chicago (+225)
Total: 44.5– Over (-110) | Under 44.5 (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting Percentages: MIN 58% | CHI 42%
Game Info: Monday Dec. 20, 2021 8:15 p.m. | ET | ESPN
Editor's Note - Odds are subject to change
The line has risen significantly from its opening of Minnesota (6-7 SU; 7-6 ATS) as 3.5-point road favorites over Chicago (4-9 SU; 4-9 ATS) to a 6-point demand at SI Sportsbook. The total, which opened at 44, has not witnessed any movement.
The Vikings head to Chicago looking to build off last week’s 36-28 win over Pittsburgh with the ninth-best rushing offense (123.2. yards per game) led by Dalvin Cook, who has been sensational for fantasy managers over the last month, scoring four touchdowns. In the victory over the Steelers, Cook fell just one yard shy of his career best output, rushing for 205 yards and two scores.
On the other side of the ball, Justin Fields will attempt to ignite the NFL’s worst passing attack (176.5 yards per game) that has led to the fifth-worst scoring offense, averaging only 17.8 points per game. Fields heads into the Monday night matchup off the best game of his rookie campaign. Last week, the former Ohio State standout threw for 224 yards and his only multiple passing touchdown (2) effort of the season against Green Bay.
Minnesota's solid passing attack will likely be without star wideout Adam Thielen (ankle), who has been slapped with the "questionable” tag. The Vikings passing game will feature Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn. Jefferson, who ranks second in the league in receiving yards (1,288) behind only Cooper Kupp (1,489), has taken his game to another level over the last five games, averaging 131.2 yards per game.
Chicago will lean on running back David Montgomery besides the legs of Fields in the run game. The third-year back has seen dominant RB1 volume over the last three games, averaging 98.6 total yards. He will now face a Minnesota defense that has allowed the ninth-most points to opposing running backs this season. In the passing game, expect strong target shares for wideouts Darnell Mooney and Jakeem Grant after it was learned that Allen Robinson will miss the game after being placed on the COVID-19 list.
The Bears have beaten the Vikings in five of the last six meetings, but it is simply too hard to back Chicago, which has shown signs of not giving maximum effort over the last eight weeks. There have been reports that certain players are guilty of already looking ahead to the offseason. Lay the points with a team that still has something to play for this season.
NOTE: Normally we have player proposition wagers, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak sportsbooks are not currently listing any markets at the time of this publishing.
BET: Minnesota -6 (-110)
SI BET REVIEW
2021 SI Betting Monday Night Football: 7-7 ATS / Props 14-11 +5.15 units
2021 SI Betting NFL Football Overall YTD: 41-34 ATS & Props +9.82 Units
2020 SI Betting NFL Football: 72-58-1 ATS (55%)
Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.
