Our Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears prediction takes a look at the Week 18 matchup that features a strong NFC North rivalry. Let’s dive into the current NFL betting odds, key storylines to watch, and make a prediction for the game. Note that all odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Monday, Jan. 2.
Vikings vs. Bears Odds
- Spread
Vikings -1.5 - Moneyline
Vikings -120 - Over/Under
47 points
Vikings vs. Bears Prediction
A lot of time has been spent this season by NFL analysts trying to determine who the Vikings really are. Are they worthy of their impressive record? Are they overachievers? Should they be considered strong contenders for the Super Bowl?
We’re 17 weeks into the season at this point, and we still don’t have answers to those key questions about this 2022 Vikings team. Yes, they have 12 wins on the season, and they’ve shown some clutch performances late in games to get them to that impressive mark.
However, Minnesota’s also had some remarkable losses that leave little confidence in this roster. The Vikings have four losses on the season through 17 weeks, and they’ve been outscored 50-139 in those games.
And now a 12-win team that’s battling for the No. 2 seed in the NFC is just 1.5-point favorites over a 3-13 Bears roster void of talent.
With a chance to hold home-field advantage over nearly every other team in the NFC playoff picture, we should see Minnesota play their starters this week and look to win decisively to build momentum heading into the postseason. However, with this Vikings team that no one can figure out, any outcome is a possibility.
As for Chicago, they continue to see impressive strides being taken by their starting quarterback. Justin Fields has been sensational this season as a playmaker at the position, and he continues to generate highlight-reel plays week in and week out.
After another impressive showing on the ground in Week 17 against the Lions, Fields now has the second-most rushing yards in a single season by a QB with 1,143. He’s just 64 rushing yards behind Lamar Jackson’s all-time rushing record of 1,206 and has a chance to break it in Week 18 against the Vikings.
While Fields has been the star of the offense, the rest of the team is doing very little to support him. The Bears went into this season with the intention of flipping the roster, and there’s very little top-tier talent left to speak of as they head into their final game of the year.
This Chicago team will look a lot different the next time that we see them on the field. Could that potentially be because they lost this game and secured the No. 1 overall pick with a Texans win over the Colts?
MORE: Texans, Bears Battle for No. 1 Overall Pick
There’s a lot at stake here heading into this matchup on both sides. It’ll be an entertaining game, at the very least.
Vikings vs. Bears Score Prediction
Vikings 24, Bears 23