NFL Football Betting - Monday Night Football
Monday, December 20, 2010
by BetUS.com
The gridiron soap opera that is the Minnesota Vikings’ season continues on the national stage in Week 15. The Vikings (5-8, 4-9 ATS), a team without a head coach, its two top quarterbacks, and a home, present some NFL betting challenges when they host the Chicago Bears (9-4, 6-6-1 ATS) at TCF Bank Stadium on Monday Night Football.
Oddsmakers delayed this line until Saturday afternoon, opening the Vikes as 8-point home underdogs. That number dipped to 7.5 but was bet back up to its original post heading into Sunday.
It will be 29 years to the day on Monday that Minnesota has hosted an outdoor game. Due to heavy snowfall in Minneapolis and the collapse of the Metrodome last Sunday, this NFC North battle has been moved to the outdoor venue at the University of Minnesota.
The replacement stadium will present its own challenges to both teams, including some frosty winter weather hitting the Twin Cities on Monday night. The forecast is calling for snow showers, 20-mph winds, and a game-time temperature that will drop to 13 degrees below freezing thanks to the wind chill.
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The frozen forecast may rattle the home team more than the visiting Bears, who weathered the storm – literally – versus the New England Patriots in Chicago last weekend. They lost 36-7 to the Patriots in the middle of a blizzard, and have tweaked their offense to adapt to the snow and wind in Week 15.
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz isn’t taking much away from the one-sided loss to the Patriots but does want to shorten up the pass game and get receiver Devin Hester more involved. Quarterback Jay Cutler, who passed for 152 yards and two interceptions last Sunday, threw to Hester just four times, completing two of those passes for 17 yards.
The Vikings will not only be dealing with the less-than-perfect conditions but also a complete overhaul at quarterback. Veteran Brett Favre is still out with a sprained shoulder, and second-string passer Tarvaris Jackson is out for the season with a severe toe injury.
Those ailments have made rookie quarterback Joe Webb the starter for Monday’s game. Webb, who was drafted as a wide receiver out of UAB, is a gifted athlete with the ability to break big plays with his legs. The Bears defense will be quick to test Webb on Monday. Chicago has 16 interceptions and 28 sacks on the year.
Minnesota will lean heavily on running back Adrian Peterson, who is still recovering from a knee injury. He is officially listed as questionable for Monday. Peterson posted just 26 yards on 14 carries in last Monday’s 21-3 loss to the New York Giants and will find the footing slick at TCF Bank Stadium, which doesn’t have heating coils under the field to melt any snow or ice on the ground.
Add to that Peterson will be up against the Bears' run defense, which ranks second in the NFL, allowing under 88 yards per game on the ground. Chicago limited Peterson to just 51 yards in its 27-13 win over Minnesota as a 1-point home favorite in Week 10. However, the Bears' stop unit didn’t look sharp against New England last Sunday, giving up 124 yards on 35 carries and a touchdown.
The Bears have won the past two meetings with their divisional foes, covering the NFL pointspreads in both those games. Over the past 10 outings between these teams Chicago is 5-5 and covered in five of those contests.
The total for Monday’s game is set at 33 points, taking the nasty weather expected in Minnesota into consideration. The Bears and Vikings have played over the total in six of their last 10 head-to-head meetings.
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adrian peterson - brett favre - chicago bears - devin hester - jay cutler - joe webb - metrodome - mike martz - minnesota vikings - monday night football
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