The Minnesota Vikings need a positive result in Week 18 against the Chicago Bears after getting crushed by Green Bay 41-17 last weekend. The Bears may be the worst team in the conference, but the Vikings are struggling to cover and are already 0-1 ATS against the Bears this year.
Let’s check the latest NFL odds, stats, injury reports, and NFL lines for Vikings vs Bears. We’ve plenty of Vegas NFL odds and NFL week 18 picks for you to consider.
Vikings vs Bears Betting Lines
Vikings Coming Off a Beat Down
Things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Vikings in Week 17 after getting dissected 41-17 by the Green Bay Packers. With the loss, Minnesota lost any chance they had at earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC and allowed their division rivals one more week to stay alive in their race toward a playoff spot.
Despite outgaining the Packers 346 yards to 315, the Packers led 27-3 at the half and blew the doors off Minnesota.
This week the Vikings have a great chance to regain their footing with a matchup against a terrible Bears team. A terrible Bears team down to their second-string quarterback, no less.
While I fully expect Minnesota to win, covering as 8.5-point favorites is another story altogether.
The Vikings are on an 0-4 ATS losing streak and have the seventh-worst return on investment for spread bettors at -22.10%. Their previous five games’ ROI fell to -61.88% at 1-4 ATS. Furthermore, the Vikings already failed to cover as favorites once against the Vikings this season.
Bears Haven’t Won Since Before Halloween
The Chicago Bears are one of, if not the worst, NFL teams in the league. Their last win came on October 24, and Chicago is 1-13 in its previous 14 games.
With a chance to “earn” the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, I question their motivation to field a competitive team on Sunday.
From a betting standpoint, the Bears haven’t been kind to backers, with a 1-6 ATS record in their previous seven games. Chicago enters Week 18 with the third-worst ROI against the spread in the NFL at -34.36%. In their last three games, that figure nosedived to -61.82% with a loss of -3.40 units.
There is nothing wrong with betting on bad teams, but the key is to bet on bad teams with good ATS records, like the Lions (11-5). It’s best to avoid bad teams like the Bears at 5-10-1 ATS.
To make matters worse, the Bears are very injured right now, with three players added to IR last week and QB Justin Fields ruled out for Sunday.
Vikings vs Bears Game Injuries
Vikings vs Bears Head-to-Head
The Vikings and Bears last met in Week 5, with Minnesota winning 29-22 but failing to cover as -8.5 favorites. The total went Over the projected score of 43.5.
Vikings vs Bears Game Information
- Game: Vikings vs Bears
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 8
- Time: 8:15 PM ET
- Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
- How to watch Vikings vs. Bears: ESPN
Vikings vs BearsLive stream: NFL Game Pass
Vikings vs. Bears Game Weather Conditions
38°, cloudy & open-roof stadium
Vikings vs Bears Picks & Prediction
Predicted Score: Vikings 30, Bears 20
- Worth Betting on the Moneyline?
No. With ML odds of -360, there isn’t enough meat on the bone to make a smart bet on the Vikigns to win outright.
- Worth Betting ATS?
Yes. Our best bet for this game is on the Vikings to rebound, beat the Chicago Bears, and cover as 8.5-point favorites. With Fields out, the Bears went for a bad team to downright putrid. Despite their failure to cover earlier in the year, the Vikings have our trust in Week 18.
- Worth Betting on the Totals?
Yes. I expect this to be a high-scoring game for at least one team; the Vikings. Their offense should be enough to get this total most of the way, with Chicago chipping in just enough to go over 40 1/2.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
Vikings vs Bears Trends
Vikings vs Bears Edge
Vikings vs Bears Results
Vikings vs Bears Game Summary
