For the third season in-a-row, the Chicago Bears are playing meaningful football in December. Has it been a disappointing season? No doubt about it. However, it's better than being in the basement of the NFC and waiting on a top draft pick.
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The Bears love playing against the Vikings, only recording one loss to Minnesota in the Matt Nagy era. The Bears have also won the last four matchups at U.S. Bank Stadium, a trend that will need to continue should they want to perform in January.
As an offense under Mitch, the Bears average over 10 more points per game (27.5) and 103 more yards per game (375.5). The most important stat of all, however, is in the run game. Bill Lazor uses Trubisky to his strengths, and that has given David Montgomery his two best performances, back-to-back, in blue and orange.
The Bears are putting up 140 yards rushing when Trubisky is at the helm. With Foles, they barely managed 50.
Defensively, it's not looking great for the Bears. It appears they will be without rookie corner Jaylon Johnson and slot corner Buster Skrine. Talk about the worst timing ever. The Vikings have a top-three wide receiver duo in the league, and that means the pass rush has to be elite to keep those two from going crazy.
The good news is that Khalil Mack appears to be healthier than he has been. Akiem Hicks is a couple of weeks removed from his hamstring injury too. We all know how vital Hicks will be Sunday against Dalvin Cook. He needs to have his best game of the season.
At the end of the day, it will be up to Trubisky and Montgomery to keep the playoffs a reality. They need to perform against a bad Vikings defense.
Chicago Bears Preview
The Chicago Bears are 6-7 and are in a must-win situation Sunday. Perhaps the strangest storyline in the NFL this season, the Bears are a better team than their record shows. A defense that has been overworked and banged up, combined with an offense that took four weeks off in the heart of the season gives the league a misinterpretation of who they are. That being said, let me be clear: The Bears are not a great football team, but they are a playoff team. Ever since Matt Nagy gave up playcalling and Trubisky was given a second chance, their offensive numbers aren't even in the same area code as they were during the brief Foles' era.
As an offense under Mitch, the Bears average over 10 more points per game (27.5) and 103 more yards per game (375.5). The most important stat of all, however, is in the run game. Bill Lazor uses Trubisky to his strengths, and that has given David Montgomery his two best performances, back-to-back, in blue and orange.
The Bears are putting up 140 yards rushing when Trubisky is at the helm. With Foles, they barely managed 50.
Defensively, it's not looking great for the Bears. It appears they will be without rookie corner Jaylon Johnson and slot corner Buster Skrine. Talk about the worst timing ever. The Vikings have a top-three wide receiver duo in the league, and that means the pass rush has to be elite to keep those two from going crazy.
The good news is that Khalil Mack appears to be healthier than he has been. Akiem Hicks is a couple of weeks removed from his hamstring injury too. We all know how vital Hicks will be Sunday against Dalvin Cook. He needs to have his best game of the season.
At the end of the day, it will be up to Trubisky and Montgomery to keep the playoffs a reality. They need to perform against a bad Vikings defense.
Minnesota Vikings Preview
Right away, three things stand out for the Vikings: Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, and their engine Dalvin Cook. Dalvin Cook is the key to everything Minnesota does on offense, but the Bears frontline kept him in check a few weeks ago. Cook managed to get over 100 all-purpose yards, but much of that came at the end of the game. Cook makes Kirk Cousins a much better QB, and stopping the play-action is the key to a Bears victory. Cousins is going to throw to Jefferson and Thielen a lot Sunday, especially with Jaylon Johnson likely out with injury. That is a massive blow. Forget being one of the best rookies in the NFL this year, Justin Jefferson has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL period. Jefferson is a full-blown stud that can beat you down the field, in the slot, and in the red zone. He's over 1,000 yards receiving already and killed the Bears on third-down situations in their first meeting. He's going to have a field day if Kindle Vildor is lined up opposite of him. Defensively for Minnesota, it's been the exact opposite of promising. They lost Danielle Hunter to injury early in the year, they traded pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, and for Sunday they could be without one of the best pass covering linebackers in the NFL Eric Kendricks. If that happens, Trubisky could have a big day with TE Cole Kmet. The Vikings defense is also in the basement, ranked 24th overall, while giving up 5.8 yards per play.How To Bet This NFC North Rivalry Game
PointSpread
After everything I mentioned, the Vikings are still three-point favorites (-3). Honestly, that is a bad bet. The Bears are the better overall football team Sunday, even with injuries to the secondary, and should cover the spread here.Over/Under
The over/under is set and 46.5 points. Like I mentioned earlier, the Bears offense is putting up numbers with Trubisky at QB. Looking at the numbers with Mitch over the last two weeks, they aren't even comparable. The Bears are going to put up points on this Vikings defense, and vice versa. With injuries to the Bears' secondary, the Vikings will also get some points on the board. That makes the over a very good play here.Money Lines
The Bears are at +140 and the Vikings are at -160. Depending on how you feel about what you've seen from Trubisky the last two weeks and the history of playing at U.S. Bank Stadium, taking Chicago to win is a good play too. My best suggestion is to wait for official injury reports to come out before making your decision.How To Sign Up For PointsBet
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