Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Matchup Preview (12/20/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Matchup Preview (12/20/21)

The Bears have quietly been in a very successful run of form against the Vikings, with wins in five of their last six matchups dating back to 2018. Before this stretch, Minnesota had won six of seven against Chicago, but the Bears hold the all-time edge with a 61-57-2 series record. The Bears’ season is essentially over – they only have a 0.3% chance of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight – but they would undoubtedly love to play spoiler to their divisional rival on primetime.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Betting Odds

The Trends

• Vikings are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games against the Bears
• Home team is 25-12 ATS in the last 37 games between these teams
• Underdog is 4-1 in the last 5 games between these teams
• Over is 4-0 in the Vikings’ last 4 games overall and the Bears’ last 4 games overall
• Under is 6-1 in the last 7 games between these teams in Chicago

The Prediction

Kirk Cousins’s primetime win-loss record is well-documented – he’s 8-17 in his career on primetime and a woeful 1-9 on Monday Night Football. What’s more, the Bears are 16-5 against the Vikings in Soldier field in their last 21 games dating back to 2000. Chicago has struggled mightily to struggle the spread this season – their 4-9 record ATS is the third-worst in the NFL. However, Justin Fields has improved with each passing week, and it’s challenging to trust Mike Zimmer with his coaching ineptitude that has prevailed this season. I like the Bears to play spoiler against their divisional foe at home this week with a national audience watching.

My predictions: Bears win 27-24, Bears cover, over 44 points

TV Schedule

Date: Monday, December 20th
Time: 8:15 PM ET
Location: Soldier Field – Chicago, IL
TV Coverage: ESPN

Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago 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: WR Adam Thielen (ankle) Q, OT Christian Darrisaw (ankle) Q, RB Alexander Mattison (illness) IR/COVID-19, DE Danielle Hunter (undisclosed) IR/COVID-19, RB Alexander Mattison (illness) IR/COVID-19, WR Dede Westbrook (illness) IR/COVID-19, DE Everson Griffen (personal) NFI-R

Chicago Bears: QB Justin Fields (hand) Q, QB Andy Dalton (hand) Q, OT Jason Peters (ankle) Q, DE Akiem Hicks (ankle) Q, LB Roquan Smith (hamstring) Q, DT Eddie Goldman (undisclosed) IR/COVID-19, OT Elijah Wilkinson (illness) IR/COVID-19

Minnesota Vikings Analysis

Kirk Cousins has been a difficult player to get a grip on this year as he ranks sixth among qualified players in passer rating and has posted a very efficient 66.9% completion percentage and 27 touchdowns to just five interceptions. However, as soon as you start to believe in him, Cousins lines up behind the offensive guard on a crucial play in the red zone or almost botches a 29-point lead on primetime. The health of Dalvin Cook is of the utmost importance for this team as he’s one of the most, if not the most, dynamic running backs in the NFL. Justin Jefferson is continuing to establish himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL – he has 85 catches for 1,288 yards and eight touchdowns in just 13 games and is on pace to surpass his numbers from his historic rookie season. However, injuries to veteran receiver Adam Thielen and rookie offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw are significant for this offense.

Minnesota’s defense hasn’t been good enough this year, especially for Mike Zimmer, who has an extensive defensive background. The Vikings rank just 19th in defensive DVOA and have allowed 25.6 points per game, the eighth-most in the NFL. On the surface, you’d expect their pass defense to be the big culprit as Bashaud Breeland, Mackenzie Alexander, and Patrick Peterson have allowed a slew of big plays through the air, but the run defense has been even worse. Minnesota allows 129.5 rushing yards per game, the sixth-most in the NFL, and ranks as the seventh-worst rush defense in the NFL, according to DVOA. The ongoing absence of Everson Griffen certainly hasn’t been helpful. Still, the Vikings are healthier than most teams on defense this time of the year, and a lot of their difficulties stopping the run comes down to poor schematics and planning.

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

Chicago Bears Analysis

I’ve been very impressed with Justin Fields this season, despite the inevitable growing pains he was destined to have as a rookie, and I have him firmly in the top three picks of the 2021 redraft I am currently working on. In all fairness, I was a big fan of Fields coming into the draft, and I believe the Bears got a steal where they selected him. Fields’s confidence has been growing week by week, and this is a matchup he can truly exploit as the Vikings allow the sixth-highest rate of explosive passing plays per Sharp Football Stats. It’s been a down year for Allen Robinson, but second-year wideout Darnell Mooney is on the rise, and he has 52 catches for 740 yards through 13 games. With a healthy David Montgomery providing a dynamic rushing presence and speedy wideouts Jakeem Grant and Marquise Goodwin providing a constant threat to take the top off the defense, this offense can be a lot better than it’s given credit for.

The Bears have dealt with an unfortunate number of defensive injuries this season, and All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack’s season-ending foot injury hangs over this team every day. However, there are still some things to like about this defense. Jaylon Johnson has developed into an excellent cornerback in his second professional season. Trevis Gipson has been a welcome surprise as a second-year former fifth-round pick who has provided a semblance of consistent pass-rushing to help the team survive somewhat without Mack. The significant number of injuries to crucial defensive players Roquan Smith, Akiem Hicks, and Eddie Goldman could hold the defense back this week. In addition, they rank middle-of-the-pack in red zone TD percentage and third-down percentage, two of the most critical metrics for defenses in the NFL. The team’s middling defense is part of the reason I’m confident in taking the over in this matchup.

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 vs. Chicago Bears Daily Fantasy Picks

I believe this game will carry a surprising amount of DFS upside despite the typical perception of these two NFC North rivals. Justin Fields is one of my favorite streaming candidates at the quarterback position this week, and he will be a sneaky-good DFS play this week. Pairing Fields with Darnell Mooney is an excellent strategy against a Minnesota defense with a knack for giving up big plays. However, the bulk of the attention will be on whether Justin Jefferson or Dalvin Cook should be your DFS captain, and for a good reason. Jefferson is the WR2 on the season in PPR scoring, while Cook is the RB7 in per-game scoring. On the fringes, I’m looking to K.J. Osborn, Jakeem Grant, and Tyler Conklin to provide solid value at their respective prices to round out your DFS roster.