Chicago Bears 10 1/2 Point Underdogs Against Minnesota Vikings

NFL News - November 24th, 2009 - Written by John

Upon a crippling loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, a somber Jay Cutler conceded that it has become crunch-time in Chicago.

"We're running out of time," Cutler told reporters. "The window is getting smaller and smaller. Anything can happen, you get strange things happening in November and December, but for us it's smaller and smaller."

At 4-6, the Chicago Bears are one of the odd men out in the playoff run, with only six games left to play, and it won't get any easier this week. The Bears travel to Minnesota to take on the white hot Vikings with the league's top passer and third-leading rusher.

Because of it, Chicago is a 10 1/2-point 'dog, according to BetUS, one of only four teams to be double-digit underdogs (the others are Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and Oakland). The over/under for the game is 47 according to the NFL Betting Lines.

There's no doubt about it. The Bears are in shambles at the moment, losing five of the last six games and going 1-5 ATS in that span. Cutler retained the league-lead for interceptions when he was picked at the tail end of the game against the Eagles, and has a passer rating of only 74.5. The running game hasn't been nearly as productive as a season ago, when Matt Forte rushed for 1,238 yards and eight touchdowns, and Chicago is 1-1 against the NFC North.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against the Bears, and 6-1 SU according to the latest NFL Betting Trends. Chicago is the only divisional team Minnesota hasn't played yet, although it has won all four of it's previous match-ups.

At 9-1, the Minnesota Vikings are clearly the favorites to dethrone the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs (if anyone will), likely in the NFC Championship. Brett Favre is the league's highest-rated passer (112.1) after completing 22-of-25 passes for 213 yards and four scores against the Seattle Seahawks last week. He has five multiple-TD, no interception games, and is a front-runner with Peyton Manning for the MVP award at 40.

He has been helped by Adrian Peterson, who has 999 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year, just one yard shy of becoming the third running back to top 1,000 yards.

The defenses are almost equal. Just 31 total yards separates them from 13th and 14th place, although Minnesota has allowed three points fewer per game.