Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, and Picks for NFL Week 5 - October 9 | 2022 NFL Football Season

The Chicago Bears (2-2) will continue their divisional road trip this Sunday when they travel to U.S. Bank Stadium for a clash with the Minnesota Vikings (3-1). Somehow, the Bears possess a .500 record while only completing 34 passes early in the season. To put that into perspective, All-World WR Cooper Kupp has eight more receptions this year than the Bears have completions! Chicago's offensive struggles were fully on display in last week's 20-12 loss to the Giants. Quarterback Justin Fields was sacked a season-high of six times while only completing 50% of his passes against a middle-of-the-pack defensive unit. Likewise, the Vikings struggled in last week's clash with the New Orleans Saints in London. The Vikings snuck away with a 28-25 loss despite their opponents being without their QB1 and their top receiving threats (WR Michael Thomas and RB Alvin Kamara). It took Greg Joseph's 47-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining to give the Vikings a late lead. The Vikings swept the season series last year and have won three of the last four dating back to Fields' rookie campaign.

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Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota VIkings Betting Odds

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Tale of the Tape

It's become common knowledge that Chicago's offense has been grotesquely hard to watch over the years. Unexpectedly, the unit has declined even after they cleaned house with the firing of former HC Matt Nagy and his staff. New OC Luke Getsy, who spent the last three seasons working with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, has leaned heavily into the running game with mixed results. The duo of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert have been pleasantly dominating, ranking top-6 in the NFL in rushing yards, TDs, and yards per attempt per Pro-Football-Reference. However, the threat of a lethal run game has yet to open up the pass, with the Bears ranking last in passing yards, QB rating, and TDs. The good news for Bears backers is that the Vikings defense has struggled to contain the run. Opponents are averaging a healthy 4.6 YPA on the ground and have already found paydirt seven times. Sunday will mark the third time the Vikings have faced a top-10 rushing attack. The Minnesota defense yielded an average of 24 points and 151 rushing yards in two previous matchups.

The Vikings offense contains the likes of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Dalvin Cook, but they are yet to find their footing in the 2022 season. They are 15th in the NFL in points per game, but they have trailed off a bit since last season (scoring four fewer points per game) and the rushing attack is truly yet to get going. OC Wes Phillips will need to find a way to get star RB Dalvin Cook going, or signal caller Kirk Cousins may be in for a long day. The Bears' defense has been a pesky group against the pass, allowing only three touchdowns to opposing QBs compared to four interceptions.

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Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Prediction

Lean on Minnesota at -7.5. However, the play is in the over/under. The Bears' offense has been downright awful all season and that isn't changing anytime soon. The Vikings should key in the run this game and force Justin Fields to beat them. In a division that houses Aaron Rodgers, it is paramount that the Vikings come away with a dub. Chicago cannot string together big play after big play and will need to shorten the game with the run to stand a chance. As for the Vikings, the offense is solid, but they might not do enough to carry the total over 44.5.

Prediction: Under 44.5 (-110)

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