Bears Vikings Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The Chicago Bears take on the Minnesota Vikings in NFC North play in Week 17 Sunday. This is a meaningless game as both teams are eliminated from the playoffs, so it will come down to which team wants it more. Chicago won the first meeting in a 39-10 blowout at home, earning their forth straight victory over the Vikings. Jay Cutler threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns, while Matt Forte rushed for 87 yards in the win. Neither will play Sunday.

Taking a look at the NFL lines for Week 17, I find a spread of Minnesota -1 over Chicago and a total set of 41 points.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have continued to fight all season despite knowing that they were eliminated from playoff contention a long time ago. Minnesota (3-12, 1-6 home) has to be one of the best 12-loss teams in the history of the NFL. Eight of their 12 losses were decided by a touchdown or less. This team continues to battle through injuries and tough losses and there’s a pretty good chance they will try to finish out the season strong with a win Sunday.

Minnesota would not give in last week to the Washington Redskins. They went on the road and came away with a 33-26 victory despite losing their starting running back and their starting quarterback early in the second half. Adrian Peterson tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee in a very ugly injury, while Christian Ponder suffered a concussion. Joe Webb came in for Ponder and completed 4 of 5 passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 34 yards and another score to lead the Vikings to victory.

Head coach Leslie Frazier has stated that Ponder is the team’s No. 1 as long as he’s healthy, but he certainly won’t ignore the lift that Webb brings to the team. Whoever is under center Sunday will be guiding the league’s 18th-ranked offense (331.6 yards/game). Toby Gerhart ran for a career-high 109 yards on 11 carries in place of Peterson last week and he’ll certainly get the bulk of the carries against the Bears after that performance. Minnesota ranks 25th in the league in total defense (368.1 yards/game). Defensive end Jared Allen is the team’s only representative in the Pro Bowl as he leads the league with 18.5 sacks.

Chicago Bears

Just over a month ago it appeared the Bears were a shoe-in to make the playoffs. Chicago (7-8, 2-5 away) improved to 7-3 with a 31-20 home win over San Diego on Nov. 20, but in that same game Jay Cutler suffered a season-ending thumb. They have gone on to lose six straight to eliminate themselves from playoff contention. Backup Caleb Hanie went 0-4 as a starter and almost single-handedly cost this team a chance to make the playoffs. They also lost Matt Forte in Week 13 to a sprained MCL that certainly didn’t help matters.

The Bears would turn to Josh McCown last week, who had previously been an assistant high school football coach before returning to the NFL to suit up. McCown played well enough to give his team a chance to win against the Green Bay Packers, but they just couldn’t capitalize on opportunities and eventually fell 21-35. Chicago actually outgained Green Bay 441-363 for the game. McCown finished with 242 passing yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Kahlil Bell also surprised by rushing for 121 yards on 23 carries.

Chicago will almost certainly give McCown the start once again, though some fans would like to see what fifth-round pick Nathan Enderle can do. The Bears rank 20th in total offense (321.1 yards/game) and 18th in total defense (353.7 yards/game). The offense has had a hard time since losing both Cutler and Forte, but both Johnny Knox and Marion Barber are battling injuries as well. The defense simply hasn’t been able to carry the load, though they have been giving it their best.

Betting Trends

The Bears are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 road games vs. a team with a losing home record, but just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

The Vikings are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record, but only 2-8 ATS in their last 8 games following a win.

Check out what expert handicapper Jack Jones has in store this weekend by signing up for a premium package today.

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