Monday night football features an NFC North showdown between the Vikings and Bears at Soldier Field. We breakdown the matchup with a view towards total NFL odds and serve up a choice Over/Under pick to spot.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
Monday, November 16, 2020 – 8:15 PM ET at Soldier Field
Vikings at Bears: Betting Lines and Odds
This week, it’s an NFC North showdown between the Vikings and Bears that’s slated for Monday night football. Across multiple betting sites, the Vikings are laying 3 points, jumping into favor after lookahead NFL lines cornered this game with the hosts (Bears opened at -1).
Meanwhile, the total for this game opened on 46 points, but since betting got underway, the NFL line has shriveled to a low of 43 points at several sports betting sites, including BetOnline.
The contrasting fortunes of both these teams in week 9 – the Vikings beat the Lions 34-20 while the Bears succumbed to a 24-17 loss to the Titans – prompted the betting outlook to shift dramatically. More specifically, the balance tipped against the Bears decisively as they appear to be fading out of NFC North contention after taking a third straight loss in week 9.
Minnesota Vikings Riding Two-Game Winning Streak
The Minnesota Vikings seem to have hit their stride in recent weeks, reeling off back-to-back victories at the expense of divisional rivals, Packers and Lions. The former of which proved to be a right stunner that sent seismic shockwaves through top betting markets. The Vikings upset the Packers 28-22 to come through as the closing +5.5 underdogs.
One of the main reasons for Minnesota’s surging form is Dalvin Cook, who has an incredible 478 yards and 6 TDs from scrimmage over the past two weeks. Indeed, he goes into week 10 leading in rushing across the NFL.
In a league of his own.@dalvincook | @Vikings | #Skol
: #MINvsCHI -- Monday 8:15pm ET on ESPN
— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2020
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: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Whether Cook can maintain his stellar form remains to be seen. It’s fair to say, the Bears have his number. The NFL’s lead rusher boasts merely 86 yards and 34 carries in three career games against the Bears.
With the Bears defense containing Cook and the run game so well, the onus reverts to Kirk Cousins and the passing game. However, Cousins is a woeful 0-3 SU against the Bears since 2018 – a run of form that includes 3 TDs, 2 INTs and one lost fumble.
Evidently, past NFL betting trends aren’t exactly encouraging for this Vikings’ duo, increasing the pressure on their respective outputs this coming Monday to buck the negative trend.
Yet, the Vikings have more to overcome this time around for this matchup: Cousins is a remarkable 0-9 SU in his career in Monday night football games – which is in no uncertain terms the worst record of any quarterback in the history of NFL.
Chicago Bears Riding a Three-Game Losing Streak
Only three weeks ago, the Bears were riding high in the NFC North behind a 5-1 SU mark. They were looking to be the surprise package of the division and give the Green Bay Packers a run for their money. Fast forward to week 10 and three straight losses, the Bears have had the air taken out their tires. They roll into Monday’s game with a 5-4 SU mark that sees them in real danger of playing themselves out of contention.
Losses to the Rams, Saints and Titans have been laid firmly at the door of an anaemic offense that has mustered up merely 327.7 yards per game over that span. A fact that has the Bears offense ranking amongst the worst in the league – 28th in total offense (317.8 yards per game) and in points scored (19.8 points per game).
Quarterback Nick Foles is getting much of the flack for Chicago’s offensive woes. Also, calls for Matt Nagy to give up the play-calling increased this week. This has come to pass with Nagy confirming he’s passing the duty to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.
On the defensive side of the ball, Chicago has been playing well. The Bears’ ninth-ranked defense (in total defense with 335.1 yards per game) is the lone bright spot. It includes ranking seventh against the pass (218.2 yards per game) and 14th against the run (116.9 yards per game) and seventh in points allowed (21.1 points per game).
This question here is whether the Bears can stop the bleed this coming Monday when they host the surging Vikings at Soldier Field. Whether Lazor can spark the Chicago offense to life.
NFL Betting Verdict:
On paper, this matchup is tossup for NFL picks across the board. By the stats, the total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s 9 games, while it has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s 8 games this season. The UNDER has cashed in five of the last six meetings between this pair.
There’s a clear UNDER trend for this matchup that would suggest it’s the best bet here again. That said, the Vikings offense has been humming nicely in recent weeks. Plus, the change in play-calling duties might spark Chicago’s offense on Monday in a way we’ve not seen this season. Bearing in mind the aforementioned factors against the total, which has whittled down to 43 points, the OVER now does seem attainable. Enough so to warrant a small flutter.
NFL Pick: OVER 43 (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The post Vikings vs. Bears: Week 10 NFL Monday Night Game Totals Pick appeared first on Picks.
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