NFL Opening Odds: Vikings open as home favorites over Bears for Monday Night Football

For the first time since Week 6, the Minnesota Vikings open a week of action as the betting favorite as they prepare to face the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 12.

The Vikings have opened as a 3.5-point favorite over Chicago according to our friends at the DraftKings Sportsbook. The last time the Vikings opened a week as the favorite was the last time they faced off with the Bears in Week 6 at Soldier Field.

Minnesota had their five-game winning streak snapped in typical dramatic fashion on Sunday night in Denver, as they allowed a touchdown pass with a minute left on the clock to lose 21-20. Chicago had their own dramatic loss, allowing Detroit to score 16 points in the final three minutes of regulation to fall by a score of 31-26.

When these two teams met in Week 6, it wasn’t exactly pretty. Justin Fields left the game with an injury and the Vikings had to hold off several rally attempts from rookie Tyson Bagent to win by a score of 19-13. That game featured a fumble recovery touchdown from Jordan Hicks, who won NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in that game but will be out for this one as he’s on injured reserve.

The Vikings currently sit in the NFC’s seventh and final playoff spot with an 80% chance of making the postseason, but following the loss to Denver and Detroit’s win over Chicago their chances of winning a second consecutive NFC North title have basically evaporated, barring something strange happening.

These two teams will face off on Monday Night Football with the broadcast coming from ESPN. Kickoff for the game is slated for 7:15 PM Central time on Monday night.