Sunday, December 20, 2020, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1 p.m. ET
Bears at Vikings Betting Preview: Bears (+3.5/-110), Vikings (-3.5/-110)
Chicago Bears
Chicago snapped a six-game losing streak with a 36-7 home romp against Houston in Week 14, getting a big game from resurgent starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who was 24-of-33 passing for 267 yards and three touchdowns — with all three scores coming in the first half.
The Bears are seeking to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Vikings, who outgained Chicago 385-149 in a 19-13 win at Soldier Field in Week 10.
While Chicago still ranks 28th in the NFL with 93.2 rushing yards a game, the team is coming off its best ground game of the season, racking up 169 yards against Houston. David Montgomery went for 113 yards and a touchdown as the 6-7 Bears kept their playoff hopes alive.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota stumbled to a 26-14 loss at Tampa Bay in Week 14 to fall to 6-7, one game behind Arizona for the NFC’s final wild-card spot. The Vikings hold the tiebreaker against the Bears by virtue of their head-to-head victory in Chicago.
Dalvin Cook rushed for 102 yards against the Buccaneers to eclipse the century mark for the third time in four games, but he’ll look to come untracked against the Bears, who limited Cook for much of Week 10 before a handful of late bursts helped him finish with 96 yards. Cook is tied for the NFL lead with 14 rushing touchdowns.
Placekicker Dan Bailey has missed four field goals and three extra points in the past two games.
The Minnesota defense has allowed a 100-yard rusher 10 times this season.
Bears at Vikings Betting Pick for Week 15
Cousins was sacked a season- and career-high six times at Tampa Bay. The Bears’ defense needs to come closer to that effort than the one-sack performance it had against the Vikings in Week 10 to remain in striking distance here. Yes, the Chicago offense has a different dynamic under Trubisky than replacement Nick Foles, who lumbered through the teams’ meeting at Soldier Field before leaving late with an injury, but Minnesota has schemed against Trubisky before.
Bears at Vikings Betting Pick:
Vikings 26, Bears 16
Bears at Vikings Best Bet for Week 15
The Vikings and Bears enter Week 15 tied for fourth in the NFL in red-zone defense, allowing foes to score touchdowns on 52.3 percent of their visits inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Look for at least one ‘D’ to make a big play to thwart a scoring opportunity and keep the glitzy U.S. Bank scoreboard from getting excessively lit up in the final NFC North game before Christmas.
Bears at Vikings Best Bet: UNDER 46.5 total points (-110)
