Minnesota at Chicago

Time: 3:25 PM CST, CBS

Spread: PICK

Total: 38.5

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Minnesota Vikings are 2-1 on the season with wins in Weeks 1 and 3 over Atlanta and Oakland, and a loss to the Green Bay Packers sandwiched between. The Vikings will travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears at 3:25 PM CST on CBS.

The game is set with an EVEN point spread, and an over/under that totals 38.5 points according to NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.

MIN

The Vikings hammered the Raiders last week for a 34-14 victory. Dalvin Cook is leading the NFL in rushing, and he had another 100-plus yard game with 110 yards on his 16 carries with a touchdown. The Vikings rushed for 211 yards, while Kirk Cousins completed 15 of 21 for 174 yards and a TD. Meanwhile, the Minnesota defense did its job in forcing an interception from Derek Carr and holding Oakland to just 88 rushing yards. Minnesota spread its wealth among four receiving options, led by Irv Smith Jr’s 60 yards on three catches. It was not a heavy passing effort from Minnesota, but it was an effective one with nearly 75 percent passing and 11.6 yards-per-completion.

Cook thus far is averaging 125 yards per game, and he has four rushing touchdowns on the season, while the Vikings have recorded seven total. Mattison and Cousins have one apiece, and wide receiver Adam Thielen has a TD rush on his three rushing attempts. Thielen also leads the team in receiving yardage with 173 yards on 11 catches and two touchdowns. Stefon Diggs is No. 2 with six catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Those two have caught all three of Minnesota’s receiving touchdowns.

Cook has also come out of the backfield to catch 9 of 10 targeted passes for 79 total yards. The Vikings are a dangerous offensive team with Cook and Theilen both having been relatively unstoppable thus far in 2019.

CHI

The Chicago Bears are 2-1 after consecutive wins over the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins. It lost Week 1 to the Green Bay Packers.

Week 3’s 31-15 win over the Washington Redskins was the Bears’ most convincing win thus far. Mitchell Trubisky shined. He completed 25 of 31 for 231 yards and three touchdowns. He did suffer three sacks and throw an interception, but it was overall one of his best career games probably. Taylor Gabriel caught six passes for 75 yards, and Allen Robinson had six for 60 yards. Gabriel scored all three receiving touchdowns, and while the Bears rushed for 90 yards, it was not a tremendous rush attack totaling just 3.8-per-carry and failing to reach the end zone.

Only Montgomery even rushed for more than seven-yards on any attempt. The Bears still improved to 2-0 on the road on the strength of Trubisky and the receiving core. The Bears average just 96.3 rushing yards per game, and rank in the bottom third of the NFL at that while having a passing offense that ranks the fifth-worst. Yet, its defense is holding opponents to just 13 points per game so the somewhat-futile offense (16.7 per) has not really been that exposed yet.

The Bears probably would be good to move away from Montgomery some with the rush game. He averages a decent four yards-per-carry, but wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has shown a ton of promise in limited attempts with 62 yards on just seven carries, including a long-rush of 46 yards (the team’s best thus far). Patterson is not a big receiving threat, anyway, with just two catches for nine yards. Allen Robinson has a team-best 17 catches for 203 yards, but it is Taylor Gabriel who leads the team in TDs with all three of its reception touchdowns. The Bears need to get its offense clicking on all cylinders, but last week suggested that is closer to becoming a reality. Meanwhile, its defense will keep it in most games this season; it is becoming apparent.