The NFL’s third-leading rusher, Adrian Peterson (530 yards, 3 TDs), will be on display when the Minnesota Vikings (4-2) play the Chicago Bears (2-4). While this season has been a bit of a letdown for Chicago, the team has shown signs of life lately, notching wins in two of its last three. The game will begin Sunday, Nov 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on FOX.
This will be the first meeting of the season for the division rivals. They split a pair of games during the regular season last year. Christian Jones led the way for the Bears defense in the last game, totaling six tackles and one sack. Audie Cole led the Minnesota defense, registering 11 tackles.
The Bears are slight underdogs with Minnesota favored by two in the game. For this contest, the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 42 points.
Heading into Week 8 of league action, the Bears are 2-4 Straight Up (SU) and 3-3 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Bears have records of 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Bears run game will face a Vikings defense that currently ranks 29th in the NFL with 150.3 rushing yards allowed per road game. Turning to the Bears defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. Don’t expect Minnesota to have much success throwing the ball against the Bears. The Vikings average 197.2 yards per game through the air, 30th in the NFL. Keep an eye on Chicago to increase focus during the second quarter of home games, where it averages 11 points.
Moving to the road team, the Vikings have a record of 5-1 ATS and 4-2 SU. In the last five games, the Vikings have a 4-1 SU record, but have done well against expectations with a perfect record ATS. Offensively, the Vikings have had greater success scoring in their last five games. They have exceeded their season average of 20.7 points per game by averaging 24 during that stretch. The Vikings locate their pass catchers through the air, owning the fourth-best road completion percentage in the league at 69.4%. Switching gears to the Minnesota defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Bears. Minnesota’s pass defense on the road ranks third in the league. This intimidating group gives up 187.3 yards per game through the air. The Vikings can take advantage of Chicago’s tendency to give up points heading into halftime. They allow 9.7 points during the second quarter, ranking 29th in the NFL. Special teams help provide a spark for Minnesota. They average the third-most return yards in the NFL with 98.7.
Predictions: SU Winner – Min, ATS Winner – Min, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 9 games.
Chicago is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 9 games at home.
Chicago is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Chicago is 5-15-1 ATS in its last 21 games at home.
Chicago is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 7 games when playing Minnesota.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago’s last 9 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota.
Minnesota is 4-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter this year.
Since the start of last season, Chicago is only 1-7 SU against NFC North opponents, while Minnesota is just 3-5 SU against divisional foes.
Minnesota is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its sixth-ranked rushing attack will face the 25th-ranked run defense of Chicago, while its 13th-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 16th-ranked run game of the Bears.
