Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears - 1/8/23 NFL Picks and Prediction
The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears face off on Sunday in a Week 18 NFL showdown at Solider Field. When these two teams faced off in October it was the Vikings that secured the 29-22 victory.
The Vikings come into this game 12-4 record overall and they have gone 6-9-1 against the spread. They still have a chance to get the two seed, so it’s expected they are going to play all their starters here. In the last game against the Green Bay Packers there were too many mistakes and they ended up losing 41-17. Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions, and he needs to clean that up heading into the playoffs. The Vikings are averaging 24.7 points while their defense is giving up 25.8 points per game. The Vikings offensive line is dealing with a ton of injuries including Brian O’Neil who suffered an Achilles injury against the Packers.
On the other side of this matchup is the Bears who sit with a 3-13 record and they have gone 5-10-1 against the spread. In the last game against the Detroit Lions the offense again struggled and they lost 41-10. Justin Fields threw for only 75 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Fields has been shut down for the season which means it’s going to be backup Nathan Peterman that gets the start here. The Bears are averaging 19.6 points while their defense is giving up 27.1 points per game.
The Vikings are 0-4 against the spread in their last four games. The over is 5-0 in the Bears last five games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game. The Bears are 0-4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games after accumulating less than 250 total yards in their previous game.
The Vikings have struggled in terms of covering spreads, but their defense is going to find success here. Nathan Peterman shouldn’t even be on an NFL roster right now, and interceptions are again going to be an issue here. Cousins and Justin Jefferson are going to have bigger games and it’s going to be the Vikings that are going to get the job done. Back the Vikings against the spread.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
