Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings (6-5 SU, 7-3-1 ATS) look to overcome their first defeat in six games when they host the Chicago Bears (3-8, 4-6-1) in the NFL Week 12 edition of Monday Night Football at US Bank Stadium. The Vikings saw a five-game SU win streak halted with last weekend’s 21-20 loss in Denver, frustrating their bid to close the gap on the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions. The Bears did the Vikings no favors with last weekend’s 31-26 loss in Detroit, which extended their current SU losing streak on the road to three games.

Latest Betting Notes: Chicago Bears

The Bears received a lift from Justin Fields’ return from injury last week, as they pushed the Lions to the brink in their loss at Ford Field. With their defeat in Detroit, the Bears have now lost 12 straight to NFC North rivals including five straight losses to Minnesota. Chicago has been equally unreliable at the sportsbooks when facing divisional rivals, going 2-12 ATS in their past 14 overall, and 2-6 ATS in their past eight dates with the Lions. Even with Fields back under center, this team still has work to do to spark their offense. The Bears have scored 17 or fewer points in four of six games, and has averaged fewer than 19 points during their three-game SU slide on the road.

Latest Betting Notes: Minnesota Vikings 

The Vikings let their shot at a sixth straight victory slip away last weekend while allowing the Broncos to score three times in the final quarter of their date at Mile High Stadium. Despite the loss, the Vikings came away with the ATS win as 2.5-point road underdogs, and have now covered in seven of eight contests since opening their campaign on a three-game ATS winless streak. Like last season, the Vikings have once again regularly engaged in hard-fought contests, with 10 of their 11 games this season getting settled by just a single score. Josh Dobbs has emerged as a key contributor since being acquired ahead of the trade deadline. Dobbs was brought in to run the offense after Kirk Cousins was injured, and has been steady, averaging 215.7 passing yards and tossing for four scores against just one pick in three starts with Minnesota.

The Keys to Victory: Bears

The Bears jumped out to a fast start last week in Detroit, but failed to seize on opportunities presented to them, converting three Jard Goff interceptions into just three total points. Chicago failed to score a major on three drives inside the Lions 25 after opening the game with an impressive 75-yard scoring drive. Despite those shortcomings, Justin Fields looked to be past the injury that sidelined him for the previous five weeks. That is good news for a Bears passing games that has generated just four TDs against seven picks over the past six games. The big beneficiary of Fields’ routine is likely to be DJ Moore, who racked up 96 yards and one score last weekend after mustering just 52.4 receiving yards no TDs in Fields’ absence.

The Keys to Victory: Vikings

The Vikings dominated for lengthy stretches in last week’s date with Denver, but hurt themselves with three turnovers that the Broncos then converted to field goals to seal the win. Despite last week’s setback, the Vikings remain one of the stingiest teams in the league, and have allowed just 18 points over their last six outings, and just one scoring run in the past four games. On offense, tight TJ Hockenson has thrived since Dobbs’ arrival, averaging 86 receiving yards in the past three games, and has made scoring catches in two of the past four contests. But apart from three scoring runs by Josh Dobbs, this team needs more from its ground game, which has produced just five total rushing TDs this season.