Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Monday Night Football Bet Preview

The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears will square off in the late game of what has become a Monday Night Football doubleheader in Week 15. Minnesota’s playoff hopes aren’t finished yet, as they enter the game with a 6-7 record, and as six-point favorites in this game against Chicago. But the Bears will look to build on their first-half performance on Sunday Night Football last week, and put some more positives together to close out Justin Fields’ rookie season.

Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota broke a two-game losing streak in their last game, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-28 on Thursday Night Football. Minnesota dominated the early portion of that game and barely held on to secure the victory to keep themselves in the playoff hunt in the NFC. But the Vikings nearly blew their big lead in the fourth quarter, allowing the Steelers an opportunity to tie the game as time expired.

This week, the Vikings are expected to have an easier evening defensively, against a poor Bears offense with an extra few days of rest. But those advantages won’t mean much if the Vikings can’t cover the opposing receivers in the secondary, which was a problem in the second half against Pittsburgh. On the road, with some leaks in their pass defense, this is anything but a sure thing for the Vikings.

🏈 Lock in your Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears Monday Night Picks for your chance at a $50 VISA Gift Card! Click HERE to enter! 🏈

Chicago Bears

Chicago lost a second straight game last week, falling on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers. The Bears led that game for much of the first half but fell apart in the second half in what turned into a 45-30 loss for Matt Nagy’s team. This week, the Bears will hope for a better defensive showing now that they are not tasked with facing Aaron Rodgers and the explosive Packers attack.

For Chicago, the first half of the Green Bay game had to be encouraging, even if they want on to lose the game as a whole. They got big plays out of their offense and special teams, and Justin Fields showed some flashes of progress even if the Bears couldn’t sustain them for a full game. Here, the Bears will have to start from square one if they want a complete game of solid play from their offense, and the Vikings’ defense should give Chicago reason to believe this will be the game they get it.

Keys To The Game

Minnesota’s biggest key to this game is their running game, for a number of reasons. First, their running game paces their entire offense, keeping the pressure off of Kirk Cousins. But it also works the clock and makes it so that the Vikings defense doesn’t have to spend too much time on the field, which is important given that the Minnesota defense has been suspect.

Chicago’s top key to this game is its pass rush and pass defense. In the first half against the Packers, those facets of their game were working nicely, keeping Aaron Rodgers in check for the majority of the first 30 minutes. But things fell apart after that, and the Bears will need to slow down the Vikings’ top receiving targets if they want a chance here.