It doesn’t matter how you get in the playoffs as long as you get there. The Minnesota Vikings are faced with a win and you’re in situation in their Week 17 matchup with the Chicago Bears, though they can enter the postseason through the backdoor if other wild card hopefuls lose. But the Vikings would rather get it done on their own and not worry about anyone else. Beating the Bears in the regular season finale would certainly be a huge confidence boost for a club many expected to be fighting for the NFC’s Super Bowl bid.
Watch this Week 17 regular season matchup live on Sunday, December 30, 2018, at 4:25 p.m. ET at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chicago Bears +4
Minnesota Vikings -4
Over/Under 41.5
The Bears have become the poster boys for winning ugly in 2018. They did it again against the Niners on Sunday, keeping their hopes for a first-round bye alive. And once again the Bears showed off their impressive defense, holding the Niners without a touchdown despite not being at full strength. With Bryce Callahan going on injured reserve and Eddie Jackson inactive, the Bears were able to hold the Niners to 47 yards on the ground and 279 total, overcoming an early deficit to win for the 11th time.
Even though the Bears scored only two touchdowns, they got a strong game from Mitchell Trubisky, who completed 25 of 29 attempts for 246 yards and a touchdown. Two turnovers thwarted drives and a missed field goal kept the game closer than it had to be. Leading 14-10 in the fourth quarter, the Bears’ used their only takeaway to silence a Niners drive and nearly ran out the final seven and a half minutes.
The Bears nearly ran out the clock, and they would have if not for an Allen Robinson fumble after collecting a first down. The Niners recovered with less than two minutes remaining and no time outs. Chicago’s defense clamped down one last time, forcing a turnover on downs for the victory. It was the second time in three games the Bears allowed fewer than 10 points with the group bailing out the offense. Over the same span Chicago averaged less than 18 points, but they won all three games while cashing the under each time.
Another slow start by the Vikings nearly cost them against the Lions, but they were able to rally from an early 9-0 deficit to keep their playoff hopes alive. Two touchdowns in the final 92 seconds of the first half turned things around and the Vikings cruised to a 27-9 victory over the Lions.
We got a glimpse of how lethal the Vikings can be with Kirk Cousins tossing a scoring pass to Stefon Diggs late in the second quarter. Minnesota held the Lions forcing a punt, and Cousins teamed with Kyle Rudolph on a Hail Mary to close the half giving the Vikings a 14-9 advantage. Minnesota pitched shutout in the second half, allowing just 74 total yards over the final two quarters and 223 for the entire game.
I don’t expect either team to do anything crazy unless they absolutely have to, and since this game is likely going to be close, considering how well they play defense, that leads us to play it safe on the live betting lines at BookMaker.eu. We’ll see plenty of runs and short passes, and the kickers will play a big role. Chicago’s Cody Parkey missed his only field goal attempt last week and has converted only 75.9 percent of his kicks this season.
We already saw the Vikings make a change at the position with Dan Bailey signed early in the season. One of the most consistent in the game during his time with the Cowboys, Bailey went through a stretch where he missed four of six field goal attempts. He responded the last two game by nailing all four of his kicks. Still, he’s making only 74 percent of his field goals and the struggles by both kickers will play havoc on the live betting lines at BookMaker.eu.
Bears at Vikings Live Betting
With a conservative approach by both clubs we are not going to see a lot points, and that holds true particularly in the first half. Play the under on the first half scoring total at BookMaker, but look for the Vikings to be a little more liberal in their play calling in the second half, especially if they are behind. That reckless play will also lead to a few turnovers against the best takeaway team in the NFL.
NFL Betting Odds
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