Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Matchup Preview (12/20/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

The Minnesota Vikings will host the Chicago Bears next week at home for a big NFC playoff picture game. The Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears have tied the record and are both looking to grab the last spot in the NFC playoff picture. The Cardinals have it currently at a 7-6 record, but both of these teams are not out of the running. The Vikings lost a tough game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, while the Chicago Bears ended a six-game losing streak against the Houston Texans. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 20th, 2020
Time: 1:05 PM ET
Location: US Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV Coverage: FOX

Vikings vs. Bears Live Stream

Where can you watch Vikings vs. Bears 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 Vikings vs. Bears Free Online Now.

Injuries:

Minnesota Vikings: Questionable: Eric Kendricks, Alexander Mattison, Kyle Rudolph, Brian O’Neill
Chicago Bears: Questionable: James Vaughters, Buster Skrine, Jaylon Johnson

Minnesota Vikings Analysis

The Minnesota Vikings are 6-7 and currently sit at second place in the NFC North behind the Green Bay Packers. They have won two of their last three games and have brought their record back from being down 1-5 earlier in the season. Last week, they lost a tough battle to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They will look to secure themselves a possible playoff spot against the Chicago Bears this weekend.

Dalvin Cook has been the true leader for the Minnesota Vikings’ offense this season. He ranks second in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns and averages 5.0 yards per attempt. Last week, he ran the ball 22 times for 102 yards and put up a touchdown over one of the best rushing defenses in the league. The last time he played the Bears, he ran the ball 30 times for just 96 yards and went without a touchdown. He will need to step up to get a win over the Bears’ defense.

Kirk Cousins and his supporting crew will be quite necessary for this game against the Bears. Kirk and Justin Jefferson were a deadly combination in the last outing against the Bears. Justin Jefferson caught 8 of Kirk’s 25 completions for 135 of Kirk’s 292 passing yards. However, Adam Thielen caught both of Kirk’s touchdowns in that game too. The Bears’ secondary is a difficult one, though. They allow the 5th lowest completion percentage of any defense and the 11th least amount of passing touchdowns per game.

The Vikings’ defense has not been particularly outstanding this season. They have allowed 27.3 points per game and 376.5 yards per game, both of which are below average statistics. Furthermore, without Eric Kendricks in this one, they will have a tough go at stopping the run of David Montgomery, who has been playing well lately. Plus, the Vikings will be taking on Mitch Trubisky in this one and not Nick Foles like last game.

Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart

QB: Kirk Cousins
RB1: Dalvin Cook
RB2: Alexander Mattison
WR1: Stefon Diggs
WR2: Olabisi Johnson
WR3: Adam Thielen
TE: Kyle Rudolph

Chicago Bears Analysis

The Chicago Bears ended their six-game losing streak last week to the Houston Texans after beating them 36-7 at home. They have climbed back into possible playoff contention for this season and have maybe turned things around. They will be tasked with a difficult matchup with the Vikings next week, who they need to beat to still have a chance at getting in the playoffs.

Mitch Trubsiky has been better since his replacement as the Bears’ starting quarterback. In the last three games, he has thrown for 776 yards, 7 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 103.2 rating. Last week, he threw for 175 yards and three touchdowns in the first half against the Houston Texans. The Bears have not scored 30 points in a half since week 4 of the 2018 season. Minnesota allows the seventh-most passing yards per game allowed and the sixth most passing touchdowns allowed per game. Plus, they have an underwhelming pass rush.

David Montgomery has been having some of the best weeks of his career running the ball. He has rushed for 288 yards and three touchdowns in the past three weeks and has caught an additional 12 passes for 121 yards and one receiving touchdown. Montgomery has been an absolute force in the past three weeks. He was unable to play against the Vikings for the first game due to injury, but he will be looking to get his revenge this time around. Minnesota has allowed the third least amount of rushing touchdowns this season and just 4.3 yards per attempt. However, without Eric Kendricks, this defense will be hurting, and Montgomery could take advantage.

The Bears’ defense has certainly been outstanding in recent games. Last week against the Texans, they allowed just 7 points and caused two turnovers and 7 sacks on Deshaun Watson. For a team that has allowed 31 sacks this season, the Bears should be aiming to take Kirk Cousins out of play most of the time. Their biggest focus will most likely be on Dalvin Cook again. They have allowed the seventh least amount of rushing touchdowns this season and just 4.0 yards per attempt on average.

Chicago Bears Depth Chart

QB: Mitchell Trubisky
RB1: David Montgomery
RB2: Tarik Cohen
WR1: Allen Robinson
WR2: Ted Ginn
WR3: Anthony Miller
TE: Trey Burton

Betting Corner

Spread: +/- 3
Moneyline: Vikings -182, Bears -+150
Over/Under: 47

Prediction

Spread: Bears +3
Moneyline: Bears +150
Over/Under: u47

The Chicago Bears have been playing really well since they have gotten Mitch Trubisky back, and it seems their defense has picked up the slack in some ways (outside of giving up 34 points to the Detroit Lions). Either way, I like the Bears as an underdog pick in this one, as they usually go 1-1 with the Vikings each season. I would take the Bears money line if you are bold and their spread.

The under is certainly a better bet for this one, considering the Vikings are primarily a rushing team, and also the Bears’ have a great defense. The last time these teams played, they combined for just 32 points. It will be a lot closer this time considering the Bears will have Trubisky and Montgomery in this game, but I still like the under pick.

Love/Hate Fantasy Picks

Love

Allen Robinson has been one of the top fantasy receivers this season averaging 17.7 points per game and ranked the 7th best fantasy receiver. He went off last game for 9 catches and 123 yards with one touchdown. Considering the Vikings give up the most points to wide receivers in fantasy this season, averaging 28.3 points allowed per game, I like Robinson in this one. Heck, even Darnell Mooney could make a push as a flex if their secondary faults enough. Robinson has projected 15.95 points next week.

Hate

Justin Jefferson really beat up on the Bears last time with 21.5 fantasy points. But, considering the Bears’ secondary has stepped up, and the Bears have allowed the fourth least amount of points to wide receivers this season, I would consider Jefferson to have less value next week. He is most likely a must start for teams, but I would not expect to live up to his average. He has projected 15.4 for next week.