Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings Picks and Predictions November 24th 2024

Minnesota vs. Chicago Key Information

• Teams: Vikings at Bears
• Where: Soldier Field Chicago
• Date: Sunday, November 24th
• Betting Odds MIN -174 | CHI +148 O/U 39.5

However, O’Connell is not satisfied. He wants to see his players take another step forward when the Vikings (8-2) visit the Chicago Bears (4-6) on Sunday along the shores of Lake Michigan.

“We’ve just got to continue to get better and prove it,” O’Connell said. “8-2 means absolutely nothing.”

This weekend’s division rivalry matchup should be something.

The Bears are desperate to snap a four-game losing streak and earn their first victory since Oct. 13. Chicago’s skid began when it lost on a Hail Mary pass against the Washington Commanders, and it turned four weeks old last Sunday when the Green Bay Packers blocked a 46-yard field-goal attempt by Bears kicker Cairo Santos as time expired.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus tried to stay upbeat despite the mounting losses.

“There were a lot of positives to build from,” he said. “That’s what you have to do.”

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will try to build upon a solid start as he prepares to face the Vikings for the first time in his young career. The rookie completed 23 of 31 passes for 231 yards last week against Green Bay, and he carried the ball nine times for 70 yards.

Chicago wide receiver DJ Moore, who had a team-high seven catches for 62 yards last week, said he and his teammates should be able to maintain their positive momentum this week against the Vikings’ top-10 defense.

“With all the players we’ve got, I hope we are able to move the ball on all types of defenses — from the No. 1 defense in the league down to the 32nd,” Moore said. “I hope we can keep it up and hopefully get some wins out of it.”

As the Bears look to stop a losing streak, the Vikings will aim to maintain their winning streak. Minnesota is coming off victories against the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans over the past three weeks.

Darnold has posted a 100.0 passer rating in 10 starts this season. He has completed a career-best 67.9 percent of his passes for 2,387 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The next touchdown pass will mark a career high for Darnold, who sputtered with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before serving as the San Francisco 49ers’ backup last season.

“I just feel like, you know — not talking about past experiences at all — but I think here it’s the detail that we’ve had ever since OTAs, ever since April,” Darnold said. “We’ve been able to lock in our progressions. Just our feet, our eyes, where they’re supposed to be. And just being on time with the concepts.

“If you play like that, it makes the quarterback position a little bit easier.”

It also helps to have All-Pro wideout Justin Jefferson, who has 59 catches for 912 yards and five touchdowns. The Vikings’ top rusher is former Packer Aaron Jones, who has 692 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground.

The Vikings ruled out tight end Josh Oliver (wrist/ankle) on Friday, while linebacker Gabriel Murphy (knee) and tight end Nick Muse (hand) were listed as questionable.

The Bears will be without safety Elijah Hicks (ankle) and offensive tackle Ryan Bates (concussion). Running back D’Andre Swift (groin) and offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie were considered questionable as of Friday.

The teams split their matchups last season. The Vikings won 19-13 in Chicago on Oct. 15, and the Bears responded with a 12-10 victory in Minneapolis on Nov. 27.

Chicago is 4-2 at home this season. Minnesota is 4-1 on the road.

The Vikings Can Win If…

The Vikings head into week 12 against the Bears with an 8-2 record, ranking 8th in our NFL power rankings. Minnesota has a 95.1% chance of making the playoffs and a 10.4% chance of winning the NFC North. They are currently 2nd in the division, with a 1-1 record in divisional games. They are 4-1 at home and 4-1 on the road.

Against the spread, the Vikings are 7-3, with a +7.4 scoring margin. They are 4-3 as favorites and 3-0 as underdogs. Their O/U record is 3-7, with the under hitting in three straight games. Their games have averaged 41.4 points, compared to an average O/U line of 44.8.

Heading into week 12, the Vikings are 14th in our offensive power rankings. They’re 9th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 24.4 points per game, and they lead the league in first-quarter scoring. Minnesota ranks 15th in total yards per game (341), 12th in passing yards (224.6), and 19th in rushing yards (116.4). They’re 12th in the NFL in 3rd-down conversions and 13th in red zone efficiency, converting 31.2% of their opportunities.

Sam Darnold threw for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns in week 11, posting a passer rating of 107. Justin Jefferson led the team with 6 catches for 81 yards, while Aaron Jones had 39 rushing yards on 15 carries. Minnesota scored 23 points in their win over the Titans, with 16 of those coming in the first half.

In the Vikings’ 23-13 win over the Titans, their defense allowed just 33 rushing yards on 19 attempts, making it tough for Tennessee to run the ball effectively. Minnesota gave up 261 passing yards on 17 completions, but they did limit the Titans to a 54.8% completion percentage. The Vikings also recorded five sacks and came away with one interception.

Minnesota’s defense was strong on third downs, allowing the Titans to convert just 40% of their third down attempts. Despite giving up 294 total yards, the Vikings kept the Titans out of the endzone and allowed only one passing touchdown.

Over their last three games, the Vikings have gone 3-0 straight up. In these games, they have a 2-1 record vs the spread and an over-under mark of 0-3.

The Vikings have gone 8-2 over their last ten regular season games. Againts the spread, Minnesota went 7-3 in these games and finished with an over-under mark of 3-7.

The Bears Can Win If…

Chicago heads into week 12 against the Vikings looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The Bears are now 4-6 on the season, putting them 4th in the NFC North. They have a +0.7 scoring margin and are 6-4 against the spread, including a narrow one-point loss to the Packers in week 11, where they covered as 6-point underdogs. The O/U in that game was 41, and the teams combined for 39 points, marking the fourth straight under for Chicago.

With a 0% chance of winning the division and just a 1.1% chance of making the playoffs, the Bears rank 24th in our NFL power rankings. They are 4-2 at home but 0-4 on the road, and they are 0-1 in division games and 2-3 in conference play.

Heading into week 12, the Bears are 22nd in our offensive power rankings. They rank 21st in the NFL in points per game (19.4) and 29th in yards per game (289). Chicago is 12th in passing attempts but 28th in passing yards per game, averaging 173.8. On the ground, they are 16th in rushing attempts and 22nd in rushing yards per game, with 115.2. The Bears have struggled on third down, converting just 31.9% of their attempts, which ranks 28th in the league. However, they have been efficient in the red zone, converting 60.9% of their opportunities, which ranks 3rd in the NFL.

In week 11, Caleb Williams threw for 231 yards on 23/31 passing, with no touchdowns or interceptions. He was sacked three times after being sacked nine times in week 10. D’Andre Swift led the team with 71 rushing yards on 14 carries, while Rome Odunze had 6 catches for 65 yards. The Bears scored 19 points in week 11, with 9 coming in the 3rd quarter, but they were held scoreless in the 4th quarter.

In their 20-19 loss to the Packers, the Bears’ defense allowed just 13 completions but gave up 260 passing yards, including one touchdown. Green Bay was able to move the ball effectively, with Chicago forcing just one sack and struggling to generate consistent pressure. The Bears also allowed the Packers to convert 80% of their red zone trips into touchdowns.

Chicago’s defense did perform well on third downs, allowing only a 20% conversion rate. They also came up with one interception and limited the Packers to a 76.5% completion rate. Despite this, the Bears’ defense will be looking to improve in their next game, as they allowed 366 total yards to Green Bay.

• The Bears have gone 1-2 over their last three regular season games. Against the spread, they have a strong mark of 2-1 along with an over-under record of 1-2.
• Across Chicago’s last ten regular season games, their record sits at 8-2. Across these games, their ATS record was just 8-1-1, while posting an over-under record of 5

• OUR PICK: BEARS +4.0 (-110)