Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings Matchup Preview (1/9/22): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings Matchup Preview (1/9/22)

The final week of the 2021 NFL season looks very different for many teams. For playoff eliminated teams such as the Bears and the Vikings, it’s an opportunity to give more exposure to young players and analyze moves for the 2022 NFL draft. This matchup will also decide who will reign in second place in the NFC North behind the Green Bay Packers. The Chicago Bears are just a game behind the Vikings at 6-10, but a win over eight points could push them ahead of their longtime rivals. The Vikings are entering this matchup with a 7-9 record and a two-game losing streak. Both teams say they will be playing their starting quarterbacks, which should yield exciting results. They’re set to kick off on Sunday, January 9th at noon CST, and you won’t want to miss it. 

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Odds

Although this game doesn’t have playoff repercussions, it is still projected to be a close and exciting one. When the two teams met earlier in the season, the game fell to eight points with a score of 17-9. This week, the spread has been placed in favor of the Minnesota Vikings with -3.5 (-110) and gives the Chicago Bears +3.5 (-110). The Vikings have managed to have mild success in scoring ability, averaging 24.6 points scored (offensively) per game. The Bears find themselves in the bottom portion of the league with an average of 18 points per game. Minnesota finds themselves 8-8 against the spread and has a significant pattern of hitting the over in 6/7 of their last games. Chicago has less luck against the spread, going 6-10, but have covered with ease in their past two matchups. 

With the Bears having Justin Fields back and healthy, the rookie quarterback will come back hungry for a win and possibly show improvement. Throughout his season, he has worked hard, and stats have increased, and with a little extra time to recover, Fields will be working to keep his spot as the Bears’ starter for next year. He’ll be a little riskier and will challenge the poor Vikings’ defense and lead to a Bears cover. 

My Prediction: Vikings Win 23-20, Bears Cover

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, January 9
Time: 12:00 PM CT
Location: US Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, MN
TV Coverage: ESPN/ABC/ESPN+

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings Live Stream

Where can you watch Bears vs. Vikings online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Bears vs. Vikings Free Online Now.

Chicago Bears Analysis

Unfortunately, the Chicago Bears have run into some severe injuries that obstructed their routine play. Their starting quarterback Justin Fields has been injured for the past two weeks after sustaining an ankle injury. In the past two weeks, the Bears have started Andy Dalton and have yielded great success with a two-game win streak they are hoping to expand. However, since playoffs are out of the equation, the Bears want to watch Fields and see how he can hold up against their NFC North rivals once again.

Justin Fields has had a difficult start to his rookie year. Nobody can blame him; he has been up against some of the best teams in the league, such as the Cincinnati Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Green Bay Packers. In his twelve games, Fields has been able to pull 1,870, which lands him near the bottom of all NFL starters. He averages only 155 yards per game but averages 170 if you remove his game against the Los Angeles Rams, where he only threw the ball twice. Fields is young and inexperienced, so he has time to grow. I believe the Bears’ coaching staff will be observing Fields to decide how they want to move forward for next season. 

The team’s top receiver, Darnell Mooney, has made Justin Field’s life a little easier over the course of this season. Mooney has 929 receiving yards entering this matchup, and his big plays help result in a big Bears’ win. In the last matchup against the Vikings, Mooney had five receptions for 63 yards with a long of 27 yards. Mooney might have an easier chance if the cornerback for the Vikings, Cameron Dantzler, remains on the sideline. The Vikings have struggled with their pass defense, and their secondary looked incredibly shaky against the Green Bay Packers last week, giving Mooney ample opportunity to make big plays.

Chicago Bears Depth Chart

QB: Justin Fields
RB1: David Montgomery
RB2: Khalil Herbert
WR1: Darnell Mooney
WR2: Allen Robinson
WR3: Jakeem Grant Sr.
TE1: Cole Kmet
TE2: Jimmy Graham

Minnesota Vikings Analysis

The Minnesota Vikings are entering the final week of their 2021 NFL season 7-9 and second in the NFC North. That can all change this week if they fail to keep the Chicago Bears at bay. In order to keep their second-place finish in their division, they have to either win this match or lose by less than eight points; otherwise, they will drop down to third. The Vikings have a fighting spirit, so they won’t go down easily.

The Vikings have had the trusted veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to lead them through this 2021 season. Cousins has been in the league for nine years and has been in Minnesota since 2018. This season, Cousins found himself in the top 10 yards for a quarterback with 3,971 yards and placing ninth in touchdowns with 30 TD passes. Cousins can have awe-inspiring games reaching yards over 300 with ease. However, in the last matchup with the Bears, Cousins hurt his rib that caused him to leave the game prematurely and only rack up 87 yards. Cousins has had a full recovery from the rib injury but then tested positive for COVID before the game against the Packers. He has been removed from the reserve list, but his play may have suffered from the injury and then COVID side effects. Cousins has always been a stellar QB, so I don’t doubt his skill; I just hope he comes back and plays like he usually does and isn’t held back from his sideline visits.

When Kirk Cousins is looking for an easy target, he always looks towards Justin Jefferson. Jefferson has had a ridiculous season that is almost unmatched by any receiver. He ranks second overall in yards with an astonishing 1,509 receiving yards on 103 completions. The Bears have one of the best passing defenses in the league and have a hardworking secondary that will apply crazy pressure on Jefferson. They may even attract penalties in an attempt to stop a huge Jefferson play. Jefferson will need to play strategically and trust his routes in order to stump the defense and take the ball to the house.

Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart

QB: Kirk Cousins
RB1: Dalvin Cook
RB2: Alexander Mattison
WR1: Justin Jefferson
WR2: Adam Thielen
WR3: K.J. Osborn
TE1: Tyler Conklin
TE2: Luke Stocker

Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Daily Fantasy Picks

This matchup in fantasy football screams Justin Jefferson. Jefferson has been a magnet of points for fantasy owners and can help lead any team to victory. He averages 19.3 fantasy points per week and can easily surpass that. He has boomed a quarter of all of his games and has reached highs of 37.2 points. If the Bears’ secondary begins to slip, I suspect Justin Jefferson will take full advantage and leave them in the dust. 

Dalvin Cook can also be a good player for a fantasy starter since he has an average of 16.4 points per game. Kirk Cousins will be alternating between Cook and Jefferson to try to free up the field and keep the defense guessing, so this combination could be deadly for any opposing fantasy team.