By Shawn Stewart

Monday, Nov. 16 at 8:15 p.m. ET

ESPN

SPREAD: Vikings, -3.5

The Monday Night Football matchup features two division opponents from the NFC North. The Bears and Vikings rivalry goes back to the early 1960s, and the first-ever matchup between these two opponents occurred on September 17, 1961. The Vikings came away with the victory, 37-13. As the Vikings currently hold a 60-54-2 lead in the all-time series, each of these two teams are headed in opposite directions. The Bears lost to the Tennessee Titans 24-17 this past Sunday, and they will be looking to snap a 3-game losing streak. On the other side, the Vikings head into this NFC North road test looking to win their third straight division game. The Vikings beat the Packers on November 1, and in Week 9, they defeated the Detroit Lions. Will the Vikings continue their winning streak or will the Bears end their losing streak? 

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings currently sit in third place in the NFC North Division, with a 3-5 record, and are currently trying to catch the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Since 2000, the Vikings are 4-16 on the road against the Bears, so Soldier Field has not been kind to the Vikings. The offense has come on in the last few games, especially in the running game. Dalvin Cook and Kurt Cousins continue to lead the offense charge which is the main reason the Vikings are on a winning streak.

Vikings Offense

After a miserable 1-5 start, the Vikings have caught a little momentum going into this intriguing matchup against the Chicago Bears. If you drafted Dalvin Cook in fantasy football this season, there is a very good chance you are leading your league. Cook, currently, leads the league in rushing through the first nine weeks of the season, and the Vikings are currently third in the league in rushing. Cook has carried the ball 144 times for 858 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Vikings currently have the 15th best offense in the league but are 25th in passing. So, it is pretty obvious that the offense runs through Dalvin Cook. Cook rushed for 206 yards on the ground against the Lions, and he exploded for 745 yards and ten total touchdowns over the team's last five games.

It is safe to say that Cook is on fire. Kirk Cousins has struggled under the lights on Monday Night Football. He has the most losses (9) without a win on MNF since 2000. Cousins has completed 137 passes for 1855 yards and 15 touchdowns but has thrown ten interceptions which is 2nd in the league only to Carson Wentz. Rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson from LSU has had a solid rookie season halfway through the season. Jefferson has 34 receptions for 627 yards and three touchdowns, which makes us wonder: Is he the future of the organization with Adam Thielen becoming an afterthought in the offense the last few weeks? Thielen has fewer than six points in two straight games, and the Bears defense has played well against the top wide receivers this season, so it could be a long day for the talented receiver. The Vikings are currently averaging 27.1 points per game, and if they want to be successful against a tough Bears defense, they need to establish the run with Dalvin Cook.

Vikings Defense

So the offense is averaging just over 27 points a game, which is a recipe for success in the NFL. The issue is the Vikings defense is giving up just under 30 points a game, which ranks 26th in the league and has cost the Vikings games this season. It is simple for the Vikings, if the defense can make a few stops or limit the opponent’s scoring, then they will continue to win football games, but the problem is that the Vikings are not able to stop anyone on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, the Vikings are allowing over 400 yards per game, which includes almost 300 passing yards and 125 rushing yards per game. The Vikings defense will need to make some plays in this game if they have any chance of winning.

Chicago Bears

The Bears started as one of the hottest teams in the league, and the change at quarterback looked like a recipe for a successful season. However, after starting 5-1, which included wins of the Buccaneers and the Panthers, the Bears have lost three in a row. They now sit in second place in the NFC North with a 5-4 record and are quickly beginning to fade out of the postseason picture. The offense has become non-existent over the last few games which has put a lot of pressure on the defense. A major concern for the Bears is their inability to run the football. The Bears did fight and claw their way back against the Titans last Sunday, but once again fell short. The Bears have been dealing with some injuries to the roster, but this team has just not played well the last month of the season.

Bears Offense

If I had to describe the Bears offense over the last three weeks, a few words come to mind: lost, abysmal, or even just downright awful. The Bears currently rank 22nd overall in offense, and rank 16th in passing, and are near the bottom in rushing at 30. The Bears have struggled to find their bell-cow back. Since Jordan Howard left a few seasons ago, the combination of David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen has struggled for the Bears offense. Montgomery and Cohen have combined for a total of 546 rushing yards and one touchdown, with an average of just over three yards per carry. With Montgomery in concussion protocol, the Bears running attack could really struggle against the Vikings. Nick Foles has been up and down since taking over for Mitchell Trubisky earlier in the season. Foles has passed for 1,746 yards and thrown ten touchdowns, both of which rank toward the bottom of the league. Wide receiver Allen Robinson continues to put up solid numbers and is the go-to guy in this offense, with 712 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The problem for the Bears is finding the end zone.

Bears Defense

The Monsters of the Midway continue to try and keep the Bears in football games. The Bears defense currently ranks 16th in the league. However, the Bears defense has only allowed one individual to rush for 100 yards this season, and that was Ronald Jones for the Buccaneers back in Week 5, a game the Bears won. The Bears defense is allowing 21 points per game, but with the offense only scoring just over 19 points per game, the Bears will continue to lose football games and rely too much on their defense. If the Bears have any chance of winning this game, they will need to stop Dalvin Cook and force Nick Foles to throw the football, and this starts with the defensive line and linebackers. Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, and Barkevious Mingo, who are the heart and soul of the defense, have a combined nine of the 20 Bears sacks. Pressure will be the key in this game.

Prediction

This could be a hard game to predict. I love what the Vikings have done over the last few weeks with establishing the run. Hopefully, Kurt Cousins can get his first-ever win on Monday Night Football, and it would be huge if he could do it against a division opponent. The Bears will need to rely heavily on the defensive unit and the passing game. I don't see the Bears being able to establish any sort of running game against the Vikings, which means Foles might need to throw the ball 40-50 times if the Bears have any chance. If the Bears can stop Dalvin Cook, they will keep this game close, but with the way both teams have been playing the last few weeks, I like the Vikings in a close game.

SHAWN’S PREDICTION: Vikings 23 - 21

AJ’S PREDICTION: Vikings 27 - 10

ROBERT’S PREDICTION: Vikings 17 - 10

Follow Shawn on Twitter @ShawnSportsNut