The Chicago Bears didn’t see much improvement under interim coach Thomas Brown.
Brown replaced the fired Matt Eberflus right after Thanksgiving, but instead of boosting the team’s performance, the Bears went to San Francisco and were beaten badly by the 49ers.
Minnesota (11-2) will host Chicago as the Bears enter Monday night’s game with a seven-game losing streak. The Vikings, on a six-game winning streak, are close behind the Eagles and Lions in the race for NFC homefield advantage. Minnesota has already secured a playoff spot, clinched when the Seahawks lost on Sunday night. Most recently, the Vikings scored 42 points at home against Atlanta in Week 14.
Few stadiums can get as loud as U.S. Bank Stadium when the Vikings are playing well.
The Vikings are expected to get off to a strong start against a Bears team with a rookie quarterback and a coaching staff that is still in a state of change this late in the season.
–It’s the coaching, stupid
The Bears firing their head coach midseason for the first time in franchise history shows just how bad things had gotten at Halas Hall.
Eberflus made a big mistake in the Bears’ game against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, which became obvious to everyone.
With 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Chicago trailing 23-20 at Detroit’s 41-yard line, Eberflus decided not to call a timeout after a sack on quarterback Caleb Williams.
Instead, the Bears wasted 30 seconds trying to get organized before throwing an incomplete pass as time ran out. This meant they couldn’t try for a game-tying 58-yard field goal.
After the game, Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen subtly blamed the coaching staff, saying, “We did enough as players to win this game.” In other words, the players did their part.
The loss to the Lions wasn’t the first time Eberflus made a costly mistake. Two weeks earlier, the Bears had a chance to win against the Packers, but instead of calling a play to make the field goal attempt shorter, Eberflus let 27 seconds run off the clock, and Green Bay blocked a 46-yard kick.
–Prop pick: Vikings pass-catchers
In the first meeting on Nov. 24, Jordan Addison had a great game against the Chicago defense with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up by catching 8 passes for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Falcons last week.
With Eberflus no longer calling the defensive plays, the Bears could make some changes, but they still face a tough task with Justin Jefferson and Addison on the field. Tight end T.J. Hockenson also had 7 receptions against the Bears last month and had 11 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in two games against them last season.
Quarterback Sam Darnold is likely to spread the ball around, with Jefferson and Addison both getting around six receptions, and Addison going for more than 60 yards.
Prop: Two bets combined: Addison six or more receptions, Addison 60 or more receiving yards (+248 FanDuel)
–Bears’ coaches are ill-prepared
Before the Bears fired Eberflus, he had already fired his offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron. Last season, he also fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
Thomas Brown, who replaced Waldron, is now the interim head coach.
While the Bears’ struggles on the field made changes necessary, the constant changes in coaching roles are not helping their rookie quarterback.
There are real concerns about the coaching staff’s ability to prepare for games and come up with plans early in games.
The Bears average the third-fewest points in the first half of games, with only 7.4 points per game. On the road, that number drops to just 4.7 points.
With so many staff members moving into new roles to fill gaps, it’s possible the Bears are lacking experience and quality coaching.
The Bears haven’t covered the first-half spread in any of their six road games this season, so it’s hard to see them changing that trend on Monday night against the strong Vikings.
Best bet: Vikings 1H -3.5 (-115 DraftKings)
