On Monday Night Football, the Minnesota Vikings will travel to Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois to take on the Bears. This Monday Night Football matchup will kick off at 8:30 PM/ET.
Coming into week five, the Bears and the Vikings are looking for a victory. In week four, the Bears defense got shredded by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, the Vikings struggled with Case Keenum under center in a loss to the red-hot Detroit Lions. The Vikings (2-2) and the Bears (1-3) will look to right their seasons when they meet on Monday Night.
The Bad & The Promising: The Rise of the Rookie Quarterback
The Bears have one of the worst offenses in the league. With winning now no longer a viable option, the Bears’ brass have elected to play for the future. Expect the Bears offense to get a shot in the arm this week, but overall this offense isn’t worth getting excited about.
The Bad: Through four weeks, the Bears offense has looked horrendous. According to NFL Stats, the Bears offense ranks 22nd in terms of yards per game. What’s the Bears biggest problem? Turnovers. The Bears lead the NFL in turnovers with a turnover ratio of -7 on season. They’ve lost five fumbles to go along with five interceptions. The Bears’ offense really can’t play much worse.
The Promising: Through four weeks, Bears starting quarterback, Mike Glennon, has played below average. His lack of production is not entirely his fault. Outside their running backs, Howard and Cohen, the Bears’ offense is devoid of real weapons. Glennon has thrown four touchdowns to five interceptions. With Glennon’s lackluster play, as well as a losing record, the Bears have now shifted to the future by starting Mitch Trubisky. Making his NFL debut on Monday Night Football, the number two overall pick in the 2016 draft will look to give the offense a desperately needed spark.
The Good & The Bad: The Case of the Disappearing Offense
The Vikings had a bad outing last week finding the end zone only once. With the return of Sam Bradford, a possibility on Monday Night Football, expect the Vikings passing attack to challenge the Bears secondary with big plays down the field.
The Good: Despite not finding the end zone in week four, Stephon Diggs is proving that his rookie season was no fluke. According to NFL Stats, the speedy wide-receiver leads the league in receiving yards. He’s averaging 98 yards per game and has eight receptions of 20 plus yards. Expect Diggs to play a big role against a Bears defense that’s giving up the 6th most points in the league.
The Bad: The loss of Dalvin Cook for the season will hurt a Vikings’ offense that has struggled to score points. In his place, expect Latavious Murray to take over as the primary back. According to NFL Stats, the Vikings rushing attack ranks 17th overall with an average of 108 yards per game. With Murray as the primary back, expect that production to hover right around that number.
Bears vs Vikings Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Vikings favored to win the game by 3 point. The over/under on total points scored is 39.5. You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
The Bears will have a lot of excitement with Trubisky making his NFL debut. Whether it’s Glennon or Trubisky though, it doesn’t make much of a difference. The Bears offense is bad. Trubisky might help put up a few more points and help move the ball down the field, but don’t expect him to come in and play as well as a Deshawn Watson type. The Vikings, even if Bradford doesn’t start, is a superior team both offensively and defensively. Expect a low scoring contest with the Vikings pulling out the victory.
Play: Vikings -3 @ BetOnline.ag
Chicago Bears • Minnesota Vikings • Monday Night Football Betting