Vikings at Bears: Preview, prediction, odds and pick
By Brad Weiss
The Chicago Bears will play host to the Minnesota Vikings in an exciting NFC North matchup on Monday Night Football to cap Week 5.
The final game of the Week 5 slate will feature the Minnesota Vikings traveling to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears. One player who will not be making that trip is rookie running back Dalvin Cook, who tore his ACL in the team’s Week 4 loss to the Detroit Lions. Cook looked so explosive for the team early on, and was an early favorite to win the NFC Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Staying with 2017 NFL Draft picks, Mitchell Trubisky will make his first NFL regular season start on Monday night. The Bears through so much of Trubisky that they traded up one spot to get him in last April’s draft, and will now hand the keys to the franchise over to him. He will be replacing veteran Mike Glennon, who just could not protect the ball in his four starts this season.
The Bears did not play all that terrible at all times with Glennon under center, and have looked pretty good at home this season. They nearly beat the Atlanta Falcons inside Soldier Field in Week 1, and then pulled off a huge victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago. Chicago looked terrible in their Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers, which signaled to the organization that is was time to make the move under center.
Minnesota is coming off a rough loss, where they not only lost Cook, but also a close divisional game to the Lions. There is no word as to whether Sam Bradford will be back in Week 5, so expect the team to go with Case Keenum under center on Monday night. Keenum has looked good in spurts for the Vikings this season, and they will need every bit of him with Cook done for the season.
Odds
Line: Chicago (+3.0)
Over/Under: N/A
The Chicago Bears are home dogs in this one, as they will be starting a rookie quarterback. It is an NFC North matchup, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Bears cover on Monday night. This line and over/under has yet to be released, so head on over to Sportsbook Review for any changes up until kickoff.
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Surprising records lead to a surprising order
Prediction
Chicago should get a nice spark from Mitchell Trubisky, who looked so good during the preseason this Summer. However, he is playing against one of the best defenses in the league on Monday night, and they will be ready for him. Expect Trubisky to make some plays, but eventually, a big turnover will seal his fate in his NFL regular season debut.
Final Score: Vikings 21 Bears 17