The Chicago Bears (3-13) play the Minnesota Vikings (12-4) at Soldier Field on 8th January at 13:00. Going into this NFC North matchup, the Minnesota Vikings sit first in the division with 12 wins from 16 matches, nine games clear of the fourth-placed Chicago Bears. The Minnesota Vikings’ quest for home-field advantage in the NFC is fading, but they can take one big step forward with a road win over the Chicago Bears here.
Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings Betting lines
Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings Betting expert picks
Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings Moneyline
The Chicago Bears are coming off a nine-game losing skid. They enter this Week 18 matchup with an 3-13 record and a 2-6 home mark. The Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile, look like a tempting bet on the moneyline. The 12-4 visitors have dominated recent matchups in this series, winning four in five of their past meetings with the Chicago Bears.
Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings Spread
The Minnesota Vikings open up as the 3.5-point favorites over the Chicago Bears, according to the oddsmakers. This implies a tight battle is likely, with a road win possible but not by much. A one-score game anyhow seems to be where the smart money lies, as the last five rounds between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings produced an average winning margin of 8.2 points.
The Chicago Bears went 2-9 ATS in their most recent games against NFC North teams. The offense put up 18.3 points per game in that span, while the defense allowed an average of 27.4 points. The hosts are also 5-4 ATS in the past nine games at home and 3-7 ATS overall from their previous ten games.
In contrast, betting on the Minnesota Vikings seems like a risky move at this point, as they haven’t covered in four straight games. The visitors are 2-6-1 ATS from their nine most recent road trips, as well as 4-5-1 ATS in their last ten games overall.
Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings Total
Matches between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings tend not to be the most high-scoring affairs, as the average total has been 39.1 points in their last ten meetings.
The 45.5 total for this Week 18 matchup between the two teams is 2.1 points more than the average of 43.4-point total they put up across their past five meetings against each other.
The total has averaged 53.6 points in the Chicago Bears’ ten most recent games, as well as 53.6 points in their last five at home. Interestedly, the total has gone under in six of the Chicago Bears’ past 11 matchups against teams from the NFC North.
In the Minnesota Vikings’ most recent NFC North matchups on the road, the score ended up 4-1 against the total and averaged 48.8 points. Meanwhile, the over-market paid out in three of the last five games on the road for the Minnesota Vikings. All in all, they are 8-2 in their last ten games overall.
Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings Betting trends
- Chicago Bears have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven games.
- Minnesota Vikings have failed to cover the spread in four of their last five games.
- In seven of Minnesota Vikings’ last eight games, the total went over
NFL Power Rankings Week 18 2022, Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings
Chicago Bears Form
A 41-10 defeat to the Detroit Lions last time out extended the Chicago Bears’ losing streak to nine games, leaving the hosts 1-9 across their past 10 outings.
The Chicago Bears have struggled to get their offense rolling over the course of the regular season, scoring just 19.6 points on average. The defense has been nothing to brag about this season. In 16 games, the Chicago Bears have surrendered a poor 27.1 points on average, leaving them rooted to the bottom end of the league’s defensive rankings.
Unfortunately, the playoff dream is over for the Chicago Bears with a 3-13 record. They’ll use the rest of the regular season to regroup and rebuild, with one eye on a strong draft pick.
Minnesota Vikings Form
The Minnesota Vikings head to the Soldier Field on the back of a 41-17 defeat to the Green Bay Packers last week, leaving them 7-3 in their past ten games and 3-2 in the last five on the road.
The Minnesota Vikings rank up in seventh-place in the NFL’s offensive rankings, with 24.7 points per game this season and 21.7 points on the road. On the other side, the defense has struggled to contain opposing offenses, giving up 25.9 points per game this year.
The Minnesota Vikings have clinched a playoff berth after winning their division. The NFC North champions now aim to improve their third seed in the NFC Conference going into the final week of the regular season.
Chicago Bears VS Minnesota Vikings H2H history
The Minnesota Vikings downed the Chicago Bears 29-22 in the previous matchup between these two franchises. The encounter took place at the US Bank Stadium in October 2022. The two sides came away with five wins from their past ten meetings, meaning the upcoming matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings will be something of a tiebreaker in this series in terms of outright wins.
In their past ten head-to-head games, the Chicago Bears pulled off 19 points on average per game, whereas Minnesota Vikings managed 20.1 points per match.