Minnesota Vikings (5-3-1 SU, 5-3-1 ATS) vs. Chicago Bears (6-3 SU, 6-3 ATS)
Week 11 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday Night Football, November 18, 2018 at 8:20PM EST
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
TV: NBC
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: MIN +3/CHI -3
Over/Under Total: 45.5
The Minnesota Vikings come to Soldier Field for a week 11 NFC North matchup with the Chicago Bears. The Vikings are looking for a surge coming off the bye. They are 5-3-1, but it would behoove them to get a win over what looks to be their main division competitor in the Bears. Before the bye, they won their fourth out of five games in a 24-9 win over the Lions. After winning just one of their first four games, the Vikes are looking like the contenders people expected to see this season. They will have their hands full with the upstart Bears who are now looking pretty good at 6-3. On Sunday, they handled Detroit, 34-22, to win their third straight game. This is between the two top division teams—a high-stakes battle that should make for an exciting SNF game.
After a huge 2016 season, maybe expectations were too high for the Vikings. With a lot of player flux, maybe a little time was needed for things to congeal. Their only loss in the last five games was to the Saints, which is small consolation for the Saints considering what happened in the playoffs last season. At any rate, we see a defense starting to perform better, while the Minnesota offense is beginning to proliferate more and more with quarterback Kirk Cousins and all his weapons. The bye week also allowed some key banged-up pieces the time to come around to health more.
It was bold for the Vikings to change quarterbacks after such a big season last year, but the insertion of Cousins is really starting to pay off. The first-year Vikings gunslinger has 2685 yards in 9 games. He is extracting more out of guys like Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs (questionable), and TE Kyle Rudolph. Thielen already has 78 catches. Bolstering the attack is a run game that should get better. Latavius Murray adds great depth and has enjoyed some nice production, but the re-entrance of Dalvin Cook could give this offense yet another dimension to wield on opposing defenses. He really showed his wares against Detroit. They've been more aerially-inclined this season and maybe getting Cook rolling will give them the balance they need to make them a truly-imposing offensive unit.
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After a rough start to the season, head coach and defensive guru Mike Zimmer has made the necessary adjustments and has this "D" pointed in the right direction once again. We're starting to see the run-defense starting to control games. The recent surge in the Detroit run-game came to a screeching halt against Minnesota. And while the pass-defense had issues earlier in the season, they held the normally statistically-proficient pair of Drew Brees to 120 yards and Matthew Stafford to 199 yards in their last two games. With even more time to prepare and plan, I see this "D" being one of the tougher groups in the league in upcoming games.
Chicago is starting to see a lot of positivity manifest. This is their second three-game win streak of the season and they now have a slim NFC North lead. Their defense has become one of the top units in the conference, with major improvements across the board on offense. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has had some huge games this season, upgrading the entire team's performance. When a long-suffering team like the Bears starts getting this good feeling, it can make them a hard team to derail. Things are starting to click finally and the morale has to be high.
Trubisky is making good use of his considerable weaponry. On Sunday, he was 23-30 for 355 yards and three touchdowns. Trubisky connected well with Allen Robinson, who has seen injuries slow his season. He has two TDs and 133 yards against Detroit. Anthony Miller, a rookie who hasn't really shined yet, had 122 yards and a touchdown, including two huge pass-plays. That shows anyone can step up at any time in this offense along with TE Trey Burton, WR Taylor Gabriel, and others. The run-game is solid with Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. Trubisky himself can also move well when it is required. Both he and Cohen ran for scores on Sunday.
As much optimism there is on offense, the "D" is the foundation of this team. They're one of the stingiest groups in the league through 9 games. Their pass-defense is solid and their playmaking ability showed up on Sunday, with Prince Amakamara and Bryce Callahan getting picks, with Adrian Amos recovering a fumble. Their run-defense is one of the best in the league and on Sunday we saw how fierce their front seven can be. Emerging rookie Roquan Smith, Leonard Floyd, Bilal Nichols, and Callahan all had sacks. And the crown jewel of the "D" Khalil Mack had two sacks on the day. There's a lot to account for on this defense and we're starting to see a group that is peaking, having allowed just 41 total points in their last three games.
The Bears have looked good and the signs are mostly positive. But this game is a real test, They get it at Soldier Field, which is helpful, but things could be considerably tougher this week. While the Chicago "D" is the real deal, the Vikings have seen their "D" start to really get things clicking. And with slightly more horsepower on offense, I see the Vikings being able to get out of Soldier with the cover.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Minnesota Vikings plus three points. Bet the Sunday Night Football game for FREE by taking advantage of a massive 100% sign-up bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $500 at GTBets!
