Vikings vs. Bears Week 2 Betting Odds, Prediction and Picks: NFC North Showdown in Chicago
Who starts at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in their Week 2 NFC North matchup in Chicago? We might not have that answer until Friday. The Bears are 5.5-point home favourites on the NFL odds with a total of 48.5.
Vikings vs. Bears Kickoff, Weather, TV, Streaming Info
In Canada, Vikings vs. Bears kicks off Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. The game is available to stream on DAZN through NFL Game Pass, which carries every NFL regular-season game in Canada. Select Sunday afternoon games may also air on CTV depending on regional coverage.
These long-time rivals deserve to play outdoors in the cold and snow, but it’s way too early for that with Sunday’s forecast in the Windy City as such: Steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High 69F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
NFL Betting Odds, Point Spread, Trends
Sunday is an important early game in the NFC North, a division where all four teams could win it. Detroit is the current +154 favourite with defending champion Chicago at +225 and Minnesota +420.
The Vikings are off to a nice head-start with the only division win thus far in Week 1. The Vikings used to be an outdoor team but have played indoors for years, so it’s better for them to visit Chicago this early in the year and not worry about wintry weather. The rematch in the Twin Cities is Week 18.
Minnesota had won three straight games in this series until a 19-17 home loss in the second matchup last season. Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard kickoff return in the final minute set up Cairo Santos for his fourth field goal of the game, a 48-yarder as time expired to win for the Bears. They had blown a 13-point fourth-quarter lead after also blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter home lead in Week 1 in a 27-24 loss to the Vikings. The Bears are looking for back-to-back wins in the series for the first time since 2019.
NFL Player Odds and Props
Back Chicago running back D’Andre Swift for an anytime touchdown as he can score either rushing or receiving – Swift had three TDs in Week 1.
Vikings vs. Bears Week 2 Player Props
For Minnesota, take superstar wideout Justin Jefferson for a 100-yard receiving game against an injured and overmatched Bears secondary. In Week 1, Jefferson became the third-fastest player in NFL history to reach 8,500 career receiving yards.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings in theory had a quarterback competition in camp with free-agent addition Kyler Murray, the former No. 1 overall pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year with the Cardinals, facing 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy. Murray won that job pretty easily, and McCarthy was the No. 3 QB in Week 1. Murray went down early against visiting Green Bay with a possible concussion, and veteran backup Carson Wentz led Minnesota back from a 22-10 third-quarter deficit to win 39-22. Wentz threw for three scores, two to superstar wideout Justin Jefferson, and became the second quarterback in the Super Bowl era with at least three touchdown passes off the bench in a season opener. The 17-point victory was the largest by any NFL team that trailed by at least 10 in the second half since 2014. Wentz would get the call for this game as well if Murray isn’t cleared in time. McCarthy would be the backup. Jefferson, meanwhile, had just two receiving TDs all of last season.
Chicago Bears
In the offseason, uber-confident Bears coach Ben Johnson claimed he wanted his offence to be the best in NFL history this season. Good start as the Bears rolled Week 1 at Carolina, 59-37 in the highest-scoring season opener in league history. The 59 points were the fourth-most scored in team history and tied for the second-most in a Week 1 game by any club, while Chicago’s six rushing touchdowns tied the league mark for an opener. Caleb Williams got a major boost to his MVP odds by throwing for two scores and rushing for two. He became only the fourth quarterback in NFL history with at least 250 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, two touchdown passes, two rushing touchdowns and a passer rating of 120-or-higher in a game. Chicago became the fifth team ever with at least 250 rushing and 250 passing yards in a season opener. Five different players scored touchdowns. But that defence was a major question mark entering the season and it still is. The Bears allowed 478 yards to a Carolina team that mustered the sixth-fewest points in the NFL last season.
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