MNF Betting – Latest Twist for Vikings: A Trip Outdoors

MNF betting certainly has taken on a twist this week, as the Minnesota Vikings will head outdoors for a home game for the first time in 29 years.

Because of structural damage to the Metrodome, their game against the Chicago Bears on Monday night will be played at TCF Bank Stadium (artificial turf) in Minneapolis, home of the University of Minnesota football team. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 PM ET. In the MNF betting odds, the Bears are an eight-point road favorite, with the total posted at 33 points.

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MNF Betting

Chicago Bears (9-4 SU, 6-6-1 ATS) at Minnesota Vikings (5-8 SU & ATS)

Live at TCF Bank Stadium

Minneapolis, MN

Monday, December 20 — 8:30 PM ET

TV:   ESPN

MNF Betting Odds:

Chicago -8

Minnesota +8

Total  33

Here are some of the trends as they impact MNF betting on this game:

• Chicago has won five of its last six games SU
• Chicago has played 14of its last 21 games UNDER the total
• Chicago has played four of its last five road games UNDER the total
• Chicago has won six of its last seven road games SU
• Chicago is 5-10-1 ATS in its last 16 road games
• Minnesota has covered two of its last eight games
• Minnesota has played four of its last five games UNDER the total
• Minnesota has played nine of its last 13 home games UNDER the total
• Minnesota has won 13 of its last 16 home games SU

The Metrodome had enough structural damage that last Sunday’s game against the New York Giants had to moved to Monday night, and moved to Ford Field in Detroit. The decision was made to move this home game to the new stadium occupied by the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It literally took a community effort to remove the snow from the field, although it may return on Monday. Because there are less seats at the college stadium, some fans holding tickets may get shut out, so there is a "first come, first served" situation in place. How might all of this affect MNF betting? Well, the Vikings obviously never expected they would be playing home games outdoors, and this is the first one in exactly 29 years, when they were in Bloomington, on the site where the Mall of America is now located.

Here are the head-to-head football trends that have a bearing on MNF betting tonight:

• Chicago has covered four of the last six meetings
• Five of the last eight meetings have gone OVER the total
• Minnesota has won seven of the last eight meetings SU as the home team

On top of all this unrest, the Vikings will have to go with a first-time starter at quarterback. Joe Webb was playing in the Sun Belt Conference last year, at UAB, and the original plan in training camp was to have him on the roster as a wide receiver. But he insinuated himself into the situation as a third-string quarterback, and he has impressed the coaching staff enough that some people see him as a possibility to be a future starter. Well, that might come sooner or later as Brett Favre is breaking down, and Tarvaris Jackson’s future in the Twin Cities does not look bright.

The Bears have to be in an angry mood after the complete embarrassment at the hands of the Patriots last week, gaining just 185 yards in a 36-7 loss. As was demonstrated in that game, Mike Martz’s up-the-field system is not necessarily designed to work so well in severely inclement conditions, and the forecast for MNF bettors calls for an 80% chance of snow. The Vikings still defend the run reasonably well (3.9 ypc), as does Chicago (3.7 ypc), but the important distinction here is that Minnesota has Adrian Peterson at its disposal and the Bears do not.

Webb is obviously inexperienced and has thrown only five passes in the NFL (completing two), but he is also an interesting wild card in the sense that he is a very mobile player; in fact, that was part of his basic repertoire in college. He may have a way to keep these changes moving simply by improvising, which is something Chicago does not have that much of an opportunity to scout. If the game is going to be low-scoring, as many football betting analysts expect, then  the factors that might come up big involve rushing and defense, and while Minnesota may not be used to the great outdoors, the weather may advantage them against Martz and his attack, with the Bears’ offensive line (47 sacks allowed) not much help. We are most definitely taking the points with the Vikings, the eight-point home dog in the MNF betting odds.

JAY’S PLAY:  MINNESOTA +8 ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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