Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
When: 1:00pm EST. Sunday, November 25, 2012
Where: Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois
The Minnesota Vikings 6-4 (4-5-1 ATS) have a chance to pass the Chicago Bears 7-3 (5-5 ATS) in the NFC North. The Vikings would have a 3-0 division record, while the Bears would fall to 1-2. This is a tough challenge for the Vikings though, because the Bears defense is very difficult to score against.
The Bears expect Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler to start this Sunday, obviously a huge relief for Chicago. The Vikings will be without their best WR though, as Percy Harvin won’t be traveling with the team. As of Saturday, Vikings RB Adrian Peterson is looking good to get the start. It’s going to be fun to watch this beast go against the Bears tough rushing defense.
Minnesota vs. Chicago Betting Lines
The Chicago Bears are listed as -6 (+100) favorites against the Vikings at BetOnline.com, but the lines haven’t opened at most of the other betting sites yet. The think the value sides with the Bears, especially considering Cutler and Marshall are in the line-up.
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Over/Under |
The Vikings vs. Bears over/under is down to 38.5 as of Saturday night, after opening at 41. I don’t think we’ll see the over/under go any lower, in fact we might see it pop back up to 39 or 39.5 before game time. There was some initial concern about Cutler and Marshall playing, which might’ve contributed to the drop in the O/U. Now that they’re both set to start, I’m seeing value on the over. I’d prefer it if Harvin were playing, but I still think the over is the side to take.
Vikings vs. Bears Betting Preview
With Percy Harvin out and the Bears offense healthy, this could be a long game on the road for Minnesota. Harvin is the main target in the pass game, and without him TE Kyle Rudolph and WR’s Jenkins and Simpson will be more common targets. Rudolph has been good in the red zone, but Jenkins and Simpson will need to step it up.
The way the Vikings have got it done this season is with the run game (150.5 RYPG – 3rd). Peterson is listed as probable, but he’ll be starting this Sunday. The Bears need to contain Peterson and control the line of scrimmage to win this match-up.
Chicago ranks 8th at stopping the run (95.2 RYPG), and with the Vikings passing game limited due to Harvin being out, we should see the Bears stack the box against Minnesota. It could become very frustrating for them as the game wears on.
After a horrible performance last week (minus Jay Cutler), the Bears are happy to have their offense back in tact. The Vikings have a middle of the pack defense that ranks 15th against the pass (229.1 PYPG) and 14th against the rush (111.6 RYPG). If Marshall’s shoulder is feeling good, I expect a big day out of him. Forte and Bush should have better games against this Vikings defense as well.
The Vikings allow 22.1 PPG (14th) compared to the Bears who allow just 16.5 PPG (3rd) and that’s after giving up 32 to SF last week. This Chicago Bears defense is going to be hungry this Sunday, and should feast on the weak Minnesota offense.
The Bears offense isn’t great either, but when your defense scores as often as the Bears D, they don’t need to be. Although their offense only gains 299.4 total yards/game (30th), the Bears are scoring 24.9 PPG (11th). This is in large part due to the Bears ability to cause turnovers, and they lead the NFC with 30 take-aways. The Vikings are -4 in turnovers, and this looks like an ideal situation for the Bears D to score some points.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Betting Picks
• Bet Chicago Bears -6 (+100) at BetOnline.com
The Vikings passing game is going to be severely hurt without Percy Harvin. If they go down early they’ll need to rely on passing the football against this Bears defense that was embarrassed last week on the road. I think we’ll see the Chicago Bears blowout the Vikings this week. I also think we’ll see this game go over the total, currently at 38.5 (-110) on either side at BetOnline.com.