Minnesota Vikings Battle For Playoff Position Against Chicago Bears

NFL News - December 22nd, 2009 - Written by John

As the Philadelphia Eagles continue to streak to the finish line with surprising authority, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in a position that appeared improbable just weeks ago. Losers of two of their last three, the Vikings are beginning to lose their grip on the second seed in the NFC bracket, and are only a game ahead of Philadelphia in the pecking order.

And after an unusual confrontation on the sideline last Sunday night, where head coach Brad Childress fruitlessly attempted to pull Brett Favre from a relatively meaningless game against the Carolina Panthers, the unraveling appears to be even deeper to the core.

But as the Dallas Cowboys have proven, it really only takes one good week to set a season straight, and the Vikings will have a golden chance to pad their lead against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

The Vikings are favored by seven, according to BetUS, with an over/under of 41.

Typically, a seven-point spread is a clear indication of preference, but the line could certainly be wider. Despite the recent struggles, Minnesota has maintained it's spot atop the NFC with the New Orleans Saints while the Bears have wallowed in Jay Cutler's shortcomings.

Cutler was supposed to change the record books in Chicago, and he has, just in the reverse. Through 14 games, he leads the league with 25 interceptions, including three last week when he was harassed last week in a 31-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He finished with 94 yards and a rating of 7.9.

The Bears haven't had a 100-yard rusher in 10 weeks, nor a 100-yard receiver in eight.

Minnesota has had plenty with one player in the top-five in each of the three skill positions. Favre is the second-rated passer in the league, Adrian Peterson is fourth with 1,235 yards, and Sidney Rice is fifth with 1,144 receiving yards.

Defensively, the Vikings are eighth in the league led by Jared Allen, who is second with 13 1/2 sacks.

The home team is 8-2 ATS lately, and the over has been it in five of the last eight meetings. A bit of good news for the Bears, though, is the fact that Minnesota is facing December troubles comparable to Dallas', failing to cover the spread in eight of the last 10 games.

But Chicago is 1-7 ATS in it's last eight against the NFC North, and has lost four of the last five against the Vikings.