The Minnesota Vikings (12-4) take a trip down to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears (3-13) for the final game of the regular season. The Vikings are still expected to play their starters with the No. 2 seed still in play, while the Bears can secure the No. 2 pick in next year’s draft with a loss.
Chicago will look to avoid losing its 10th straight contest after a 41-10 defeat last week at the hands of Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions. Minnesota also enters this game after a 41-17 loss to its NFC North rival Green Bay Packers in Week 17.
Let’s take a look at the Minnesota vs Chicago best bets, predictions, and betting tips for the final week of the regular season.
Vikings vs Bears Odds
Caesars Sportsbook is giving Minnesota the slight edge in this matchup as of Tuesday morning, Jan. 3. Kevin O’Connell‘s squad is just four-point favorites as the road team despite winning by a touchdown at home vs Chicago earlier this season.
The 45.5-point total is 5.5 points less than what the two teams accounted for in their first matchup back in Week 5.
Take a look at the best Vikings odds and Bears odds for the 2022 NFL season.
Vikings vs Bears Implied Totals
Vikings 24.75, Bears 20.75
Neither squad managed to reach their implied totals last week but could fare better against each other after allowing 41 points each last week. With O’Connell already confirming that the starters will play in this game, this total seems very reasonable.
Vikings vs Bears Pick of the Day
Read more on this Vikings vs Bears bet below.
Vikings vs Bears Prediction
Vikings 28, Bears 18
The Vikings should have no trouble bouncing back after last week’s disappointing loss against the surging Packers. You can expect Kirk Cousins and the rest of Minnesota’s starters to jump out to an early lead in hopes of getting some rest before a big playoff run.
On the other hand, a loss for Matt Eberflus and the Bears in the final game of the regular season makes the most sense as a rebuilding team. A win could potentially move Chicago as high as the No. 4 pick, which could be the difference when searching for a franchise talent in next year’s draft.
Apart from bragging rights against a division opponent, there won’t be any incentive for Justin Fields and co. to come away victorious in this game.
Dalvin Cook should be in for a big game seeing as Chicago allowed the Lions to rush for 265 yards as a team last week. Cook finished his first game against the Bears this season with 18 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
Justin Jefferson will also be a good candidate for a bounce-back game after last week’s one-catch performance. The superstar wideout had 12 receptions for 154 yards against the Bears back in Week 5.
Vikings vs Bears Bet Tips
Here are a few Vikings vs Bears betting trends to consider before making your bets:
- The Vikings are 6-9-1 against the spread and 2-3-1 as the away team.
- The Bears are 5-10-1 ATS and just 3-4-1 at home.
- The Over is 11-5 in Vikings games and 8-3 when favorites.
- The Over is 10-6 in Bears games and 3-2 in games against NFC North opponents.
Vikings vs Bears Best Bets
Vikings -4 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 2 Units
You can expect the Vikings to cover fairly easily due to the current form of the Bears’ defense. Eberflus’ squad has not held an opponent to fewer than 25 points in the last five weeks and has lost by a combined 51 points in their last two games.
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Vikings: Over 26 Points (-104) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 2 Units
The Vikings’ offense has proven to be one of the strongest in the league this season despite last week’s subpar performance. Minnesota has managed to eclipse 26 in three of the last five and also managed to do so against Chicago earlier this season.
Want to bet on the Bears? Check out the best Illinois sportsbooks!
Vikings vs Bears Props
Check out the best Vikings vs Bears player prop bets this week with our props comparison tool. Click on “Show More Games" below to find the Minnesota vs Chicago game and see all of its prop bets.
