One of several teams on the cusp of the NFL playoffs will get the chance to prove their worth on Monday night as the Minnesota Vikings tackle NFC North rivals Chicago Bears.
The Vikings, 10/27 to win via the money line, can still stage a late surge into the post-season, while the Bears, 11/5 to win, are already thinking about 2022.
While the race for the NFC North is already over, the Vikings will hope they can throw their name into the hat for the playoffs as they travel to Chicago on Monday night, with the action available on the Sports Live Streaming platform.
Motivation an issue for lacklustre Bears
The Bears head into Monday's game on the back of successive defeats, losing to NFC North leaders Green Bay Packers last weekend.
That should not surprise anyone, with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers able to continue his run of dominance against the Bears defence.
Last week's defeat saw them drop to 4-9 for the season, guaranteeing a losing campaign. Seven of their defeats have come by double digits, and they conceded 45 points against the Packers, while Arizona Cardinals fired 33 past them the week before.
Sadly for the Bears, their attention seems to be focused on next season and whether coach Matt Nagy retains his spot on the staff, rather than if they can cover the +6.0 spread at 10/11.
Cook to lead the way for Minnesota
Running back Dalvin Cook was questionable to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, but he showed no ill effects of a shoulder injury as he rushed for 205 yards.
Cook cut through a fragile Steelers defence and he may need to replicate his form this week, with quarterback Kirk Cousins struggling of late.
Cousins could only complete 14 of 31 passes against Pittsburgh and he also showed signs of sloppiness, throwing two interceptions.
The Vikings may need to take the burden off him and utilise their rushing game, and Cook will fancy his chances of scoring a touchdown, which can be backed anytime at 1/2.
Expect fireworks at Soldier Field
The last meeting between the two sides was a great watch for the neutral, with the Bears running out 27-33 winners.
Games between the pair have mainly been low-scoring affairs in recent years, but the Vikings need to start showing they mean business during the final few months of the campaign.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has seen his side surrender big leads in the past, including a 29-0 advantage against the Steelers.
The Vikings have had 12 one-score games already this season, and Zimmer's men will look to stamp their authority as many times as they can.
Adam Thielen should be able to recover from an ankle injury in time to feature, giving Cousins another option with the ball in hand.
While they should have too much for the Bears, that does not mean Nagy's troops will not have some success of their own.
Justin Fields looks to be getting better each week, but the Bears' defence is likely to be their Achilles heel.
Under Nagy's tenure, Chicago have given a good account of themselves against their NFC North rivals, and over 44.5 points at 10/11, has a great chance of landing on Monday night.
They recently scored 22 points against the Arizona Cardinals, the best team in the NFL right now, and they should give their fans something to cheer on what could be a long night for Nagy's side.
