Bettors Split on Vikings vs Bears Picks: 52.7% of Money on Minnesota

• Odds show the Minnesota Vikings-Chicago Bears as the closest Week 4 NFL game in terms of betting
• The sportsbooks has taken 52.7 percent of wagers on the Vikings to beat the spread
• We preview the NFC North showdown and offer our betting prediction

The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears both bring 2-1 records to the field Sunday at Soldier Field. Both teams suffered their only loss this season at the hands of the same opponent, their NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers.

The Bears are two-point favorites at home against the Vikings in the Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears odds & stats.

This game is a close one to call, and that’s been evident in the bets handled so far. The hometown Vikings have been bet to beat the two-point spread on 52.7% of all wagers played. Meanwhile, the other 47.3% of bettors are backing the visiting Bears to cover and win. Chicago opened as three-point favorites.

Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears Odds

*Odds taken 09/28/19

Chicago beat the Vikings twice last season. It was the first time since the 2011 season that the Bears swept Minnesota.

Bear-ly Breathing

Although they show a winning record, the Bears are succeeding in spite of their sputtering offense. Chicago is 29th in the NFL in total offense (275.0 yards per game). The three teams behind them are all 0-3 and two of them (Pittsburgh, New York Jets) are without their starting quarterback.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Bears own the NFL’s sixth highest-graded defense and the league’s highest-graded pass rush. But Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky rates 30th out of 32 starters.

Highest % of uncatchable passes on throws beyond the line of scrimmage (min 40 attempts)

1. Rosen 41.7%
2. Newton 36.1
3. Lamar Jackson 34.2
4. Trubisky 30.7
5. Mariota 30.4
6. Stafford 29.5
7. Fitzpatrick 28.9
8. Goff 27.9
9. Dalton 26.4
10. Watson 25.6

— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) September 26, 2019

Mitch Trubisky’s three second-quarter touchdown passes in last week’s win over the Washington Redskins were his first, and so far, only scoring aerials of the season.

Missing Cousins

The Vikings are dealing with their own issues under center. In their case, it’s an $84-million headache.

That’s what they paid Kirk Cousins to come play QB for their team last season. And so far it’s proving to be an unmitigated disaster.

Listen I understand Mitchell Trubisky has been struggling and all but Kirk Cousins is an 8 year veteran playing like this, and he got $80 million😬 pic.twitter.com/sjgtaFj4rm

— Danny (@dannyynorth) September 26, 2019

Fresh off an NFC North crown and NFC Championship Game appearance under Cousins predecessor Case Keenum, the Vikings went 8-7-1 in their first season with Cousins at the helm and missed the playoffs.

In the past, Cousins has put up stats. Last season, he threw for 4,298 yards, with 30 TD passes against 10 interceptions. He completed 70.1% of his passes and posted a 99.7 passer rating.

BREAKING: It’s okay to understand that the best QB option AT THE TIME was signing Kirk Cousins in free agency, while also admitting that it hasn’t worked out so far.

— John Kriesel (@johnkriesel) September 23, 2019

What Cousins doesn’t do is win when it counts. He’s 5-16 in his career against teams with winning records and 1-7 in this scenario as a Viking. He’s 13-24-2 all-time on the road.

Vikings Rush to Cook

This game might very well swing upon the situations of two players, and no, not the opposing QBs.

The best thing Cousins has going for him right now is that he can turn and hand the ball off to Dalvin Cook. The Minnesota running back leads the NFL in rushing with 375 yards.

Dalvin Cook's footwork is silly 😱😱 @dalvincook pic.twitter.com/F82C0ALbyL

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 22, 2019

Cook has gone over 100 yards in all three games so far this season. He’s gained his 375 yards on 57 carries, for an eye-popping 6.6 yards per carry. He’s also second in the league with four TDs. Minnesota leads the NFL with seven run plays of 20+ yards.

Dalvin Cook is the first Vikings player with 100 rush yards in 3 consecutive games since Adrian Peterson in 2015. pic.twitter.com/0aBvp3flRr

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 22, 2019

The last opposing player to rush for over 100 yards against the Bears at Soldier Field was Ty Montgomery of the Packers in 2016. But the Bears figure to be without defensive tackle Akiem Hicks. He’s their best run stopper, and he’s listed as questionable due to a knee injury.

2. Dalvin Cook is the best running back in the league right now. That is not an exaggeration. The Bears' defensive game plan has to revolve almost entirely around Cook. If Akiem Hicks is out with his knee injury, this task just got that much more difficult.

— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) September 27, 2019

In a closely-matched game like this, that could be the difference-maker.

Pick: Minnesota Vikings +2 (-115).