Sharps, betting public on same side on ‘Monday Night Football’
History is on Chicago’s side against Minnesota on “Monday Night Football” at Soldier Field. But sharp bettors and the betting public are on the Vikings.
Circa Sports reported taking sharp bets on Minnesota at -2½ and -3 before the line climbed to 3½ on Monday at every Las Vegas sportsbook.
“They think there’s a resurgence in Minny,” William Hill sportsbook director Nick Bogdanovich said. “We’ll definitely need the Bears.”
The Vikings (3-5, 5-3 ATS) have won three of five games after an 0-3 start while the Bears (5-4, 5-4 ATS) have lost three straight games following a 5-1 start.
Chicago swept the season series the last two years and has dominated Minnesota at Soldier Field in the 21st century. The Bears are 16-3 vs. the Vikings in Chicago since 2001 and 14-4-1 ATS. They’re also riding a 13-4-1 cover streak as home underdogs.
Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins is 0-9 straight up and ATS in his career on “Monday Night Football.”
“It’s a huge game for both teams to keep their wild-card aspirations alive,” Sunset Station sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “The key is (Minnesota running back) Dalvin Cook. Four of his worst six games have come against the Bears.
“If the Bears can lock down Cook and make Mr. Monday Night Football Kirk Cousins beat them, I think there’s value with the Bears’ defense getting more than a field goal.”
The consensus total is 44 after it was as low as 43. Both meetings went under last season, with Chicago winning 21-19 in Minnesota and 16-6 at home. The under is 20-11 in NFL primetime games this season after going 31-17-1 last season.
Chicago, 30th in the league in scoring at 19.8 points per game, has gone under in six of nine games. The Vikings have a 6-2 over-under mark.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.