Playoff Seeding at Stake with Bears and Vikings
The NFL regular season comes to a close this Sunday with an important matchup in the NFC North. The 11-4 Chicago Bears and the 8-6-1 Minnesota Vikings. These bitter rivals don’t need anything to motivate them usually, but with playoff implications on the line this should be a slobber-knocker.
Game time from US Bank Stadium is set for 4:25 p.m. on FOX. BetAnySports has set the Vikings as six-point home favorites with a total line of 40.5 points.
The Bears have already clinched the division title. They are gunning for a first-round bye with one more win and one more Los Angeles Rams’ loss. Chicago has won its last three games both straight-up and against the spread. This was after Sunday’s 14-9 win at San Francisco as a 3.5-point favorite. The Bears are now 8-1 (SU and ATS) over its last nine games. The total has stayed UNDER in four of its last five contests.
Chicago will go as far as its defense can take it this postseason. With a points-allowed average of 18.1, this has quickly turned into one of the best units in the NFL. During this current three-game run, the Bears have allowed a combined 32 points. On the other side of the ball, they have scored an average of just 17.7 points during the same three-game span.
The Vikings Can Clinch Final Playoff Spot
Minnesota will clinch the final playoff spot in the NFC with a win on Sunday afternoon. They can also get into the postseason with a Philadelphia loss. The Vikings lost to Chicago 25-20 on Nov. 18 as 2.5-point road underdogs. This was part of an even 3-3 mark SU and ATS over their last six games. They did beat Miami at home and Detroit on the road in their last two games. The total has stayed UNDER BetAnySports’ closing line in six of Minnesota’s last eight contests.
Behind Kirk Cousins, the Vikings are averaging 262.3 passing yards per game. They fall much farther down the list when it comes to running the ball. The Vikings average of 95.3 rushing yards per game is down the list a bit. Adam Thielen has been Cousins’ top target with 110 receptions for 1,335 yards and nine scores. Dalvin Cook is the team’s leading rusher with 576 rushing yards and two scores on 122 carries.
It is obvious that Minnesota needs a win on Sunday much more than Chicago. With that being said, I will still take the Bears and the six points as my ‘best bet’ pick. The Bears win 23-14.
NFL Betting Odds & Trends
| Chicago Bears |
|---|
| The Bears are 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games |
| Chicago is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago’s last 5 games |
| The Bears are 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road |
| Chicago is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games on the road |
| The Bears are 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota |
| Chicago is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Minnesota |
| The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Chicago’s last 14 games when playing Minnesota |
| The Bears are 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota |
| Chicago is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota |
| Minnesota Vikings |
|---|
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games |
| The Vikings are 17-7-1 ATS in its last 25 games at home |
| The Vikings are 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home |
| The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Minnesota’s last 11 games at home |
| The Vikings are 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago |
| Minnesota is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Chicago |
| The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Minnesota’s last 14 games when playing Chicago |
| The Vikings are 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago |
| Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chicago |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 7 games when playing at home against Chicago |
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