Vikings-Bears Predictions, Picks: Who Wins on MNF?

Will the Vikings overcome their Soldier Field woes? Or will the Bears maintain their recent dominance in this rivalry?

This is a big one.

With a national audience watching in primetime, the Vikings' season is on the line on Monday Night Football. If they're able to play like they have over the past two weeks, they should be able to take care of a struggling Bears team. But it's hard to look past the Vikings' 3-16 record in their last 19 games at Soldier Field – not to mention Kirk Cousins' 0-9 record on MNF – and think that this will be even remotely easy.

A win would move the Vikings to 4-5 with three very winnable home games coming up. A loss would drop them to 3-6 and all but eliminate them (again) from the playoff discussion. Fasten your seatbelts, everyone.

Let's start with my prediction and then see what the national experts think.

Will's pick: Bears 21, Vikings 17

On paper, the Vikings should win this game. They lead the NFL in net yards per play on offense, while the Bears are 31st. That's a wild disparity. The Vikings have a much better offense and their defense has made some strides recently. But I just can't predict it. They never win in Chicago and Kirk Cousins is allergic to winning on Monday night. I need to see it happen to believe that it's actually possible.

Last game's pick: Vikings 27, Lions 20. Season record: 4-4

SI MMQB: All six of the MMQB's pickers are taking the Vikings on the road, which feels like a very bad sign. Full picks here.

Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Vikings 24, Bears 17

Dalvin Cook makes me believe in all the clichés I never did before: making the Vikings defense better by keeping the unit off the field, improving play-action with his mere presence and wearing down opponents by the fourth quarter. He's giving Alvin Kamara a run for his money as the most valuable non-quarterback skill-position player in the league.

Mike Florio, PFT: Bears 19, Vikings 16

The Vikings have had a rough time in Chicago in recent years, and the organization still carries the scars from their playoff loss to Nick Foles. If the Bears can bottle up Dalvin Cook like they did last year at Soldier Field, the passing game can't compensate.

Michael David Smith, PFT: Vikings 24, Bears 20

It's hard to believe how different both of these teams look than they did a few weeks ago. The Bears season is cratering, while the Vikings are still hoping for a late-season push to the playoffs. Minnesota gets an important division win.

Courtney Cronin, ESPN Vikings Reporter: Bears 20, Vikings 17

Bold prediction: Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is going to face a ton of loaded boxes, so it's possible the Vikings will have to get into a dropback game with quarterback Kirk Cousins to win this one. The Bears' defense knows how to exploit Minnesota's weaknesses and will do so by sacking Cousins five times and not allowing him to complete a pass over 6 yards downfield.

Jeff Dickerson, ESPN Bears Reporter: Vikings 21, Bears 16

What to watch for: Bears coach Matt Nagy is under tremendous pressure to fix the league's worst offense, but he is 4-0 versus the Vikings since he took over in 2018 and 2-1 on Monday Night Football. For Nagy's steak against Minnesota to continue, Chicago's offense needs a wake-up call. The Bears average an abysmal 19.8 points and 82.6 rushing yards per game, and they rank 31st in third-down conversion (32.3%) and yards per play (4.81). On the flip side, the Vikings have allowed opponents to score 30-plus points on three separate occasions in 2020.

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Bears 26, Vikings 23

The Vikings suddenly have life after two straight victories, while the Bears are reeling a bit. Dalvin Cook has been sensational this season and especially the past two weeks. But Chicago is solid against the run. That will matter here. Nick Foles has been ordinary, but he should be able to make enough plays to pull out a home victory.

Mark Craig, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Vikings 33, Bears 30

Yeah, yeah. Picking the Vikings to win at Chicago in prime time goes against whatever witchcraft the Bears have been using the past 16 years or so. But neither witches nor Chuck Pagano’s excellent defense will stop Dalvin Cook’s current head of steam. 

Sam Farmer, LA Times: Bears 23, Vikings 21

Not a good matchup for Minnesota, which can run it well but will have a hard time doing so against the Bears. Chicago’s offense should be able to move the ball, but “should” is not a promise.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Vikings 23, Bears 20

The Vikings have been rolling by feeding Dalvin Cook, both taking pressure [off] Kirk Cousins and making life easier on a defense having major secondary issues. It's much easier to run on the Bears than force throwing on them, which plays into the hands of Mike Zimmer's game plan. The Bears will have some success throwing with Nick Foles to Allen Robinson and others, but they will be too one-dimensional with Foles feeling enough heat to make more mistakes.

Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis. Also, click the follow button in the upper right-hand corner of this page (mobile users, tap the bell icon – you may have to click ‘News’ first), leave comments below, and follow me on Twitter