Week 8 in the NFL closes things out with an old-fashioned NFC North battle between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears this Monday night. Game time from Soldier Field is set for 8:30 p.m. (ET) and this division tilt will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Minnesota at Chicago Game Overview
The Vikings were the toast of the town through their first five games with a perfect 5-0 start both straight-up and against the spread while outscoring the competition by a combined 56 points. That all changed last Sunday in Philadelphia as three-point road favorites in a 21-10 loss that stayed UNDER an already low 38.5-point closing line. The total has stayed UNDER in four of Minnesota’s last five games.
Sam Bradford had done a good job at quarterback for his new team, but last Sunday against his old team he imploded with three turnovers and six sacks while completing 24-of-41 attempts for 224 yards. The Vikings ended that game with just 282 yards of total offense and they are now ranked 31st in the league in that department with an average of 299.2 yards a game. Minnesota is still a formidable force on defense and it remains ranked first in the NFL in yards allowed while also leading the league in turnovers.
Chicago got off to a bad start and it has actually gotten worse with just one win both SU and ATS in its first seven games. Last Thursday in prime time division battle against Green Bay, the Bears were on the wrong side of a 26-10 final score as 7.5-point road underdogs. The total stayed UNDER 46.5 points in that latest loss and it has stayed UNDER in three of their last four games. Chicago is now 1-7 SU and ATS in its last eight games going back to last season.
Early in the season Brian Hoyer came in for an injured Jay Cutler at quarterback and he appeared to wrestle that starting role away from Cutler with his play on the field despite his team’s inability to win games. It looks like Cutler will get his job back anyway after Hoyer was lost for the near future with a broken arm in the loss to the Packers. I am not sure it really matters who is under center on an offense that is dead last in the NFL in scoring with just 15.9 points a game.
Minnesota at Chicago Game Betting Trends
The Vikings have won seven of their last nine games on the road SU and they have gone 9-1 ATS in their last 10 road games. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six games played on the road.
The Bears are 1-7 SU in their last eight home games and they have failed to cover in five of their last six games at home. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last nine home games.
Head-to-head in this heated rivalry, Minnesota has won four of the last five meetings SU, but it falls to 3-9-1 ATS in its last 13 road games against the Bears. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the last five meetings in Chicago.
