Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears Betting Preview
06 January 2023
We have reached Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season, and all of the playoff races will be wrapped up by Sunday night. The Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings in one of the Week 18 matchups, and this game only matters for the visitors.
Minnesota has already wrapped up the NFC North Division title, but this game still has meaning for them. The Vikings can improve their playoff positioning, and they want to get as many home games as possible this season.
Chicago is currently in the middle of the longest losing streak in franchise history. The Bears have won just three games this season, but this was all a part of the master play to try and get a high draft pick to make a run next season.
The Minnesota Vikings are 3.5-point betting favorites over the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
Vikings Want to Score
The Minnesota Vikings are scoring close to 25 points per game this season, and they are a team that does a ton of damage through the air. Despite having Dalvin Cook to run the football, Minnesota is averaging just 95 rushing yards per game.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown for over 4,300 yards this season, but he has also tossed 14 interceptions. Minnesota just simply can’t have bad plays from Cousins in this game, but he just can’t seem to take care of it.
The Minnesota defense has been a disaster of late, as they are allowing close to 26 points per game. That unit is catching a big break in this game, though, as Justin Fields is not suiting up.
Defense a Disaster For Bears
The Chicago Bears are usually a team that wants to win games with defense, but that unit has not lived up to the task. Chicago is allowing over 27 points per game, and opponents have been running all over them each week.
Justin Fields has been able to keep the Bears in games with his own rushing ability, but he won’t be suiting up for this game. Fields will fall short of the quarterback rushing record, but the Bears appear to have a bright future with him under center.
The Bears are scoring just 19.6 points per game, and they will struggle without Fields.
Bears Stun Division Rivals
It hasn’t been a successful season for Chicago in terms of wins or losses, but they do have some young players that are getting better each week. The Bears don’t necessarily want to win this game on Sunday, but they are facing a team that they can beat.
Minnesota just hasn’t looked sharp against some of the worst teams in the league this season, and they will make some mistakes in this game. Don’t be surprised to see the Chicago Bears hang around for four quarters and then make a big play to come away with the win.
Bet the Chicago Bears moneyline as they will have enough pride to play well and pick up a surprising win over their division rivals.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
