3 Best NFL Bets and Predictions for Vikings at Bears on Monday Night Football

Week 1 ends with one of the offseason's most compelling squads. The Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings in a Week 1 contest where a magnifying glass will be on both of these sophomore quarterbacks.

Even within a single NFL game, betting markets are abundant.

You've got everything from spreads and totals to touchdown scorers and player props at your disposal. It can be a lot to sort through.

Using the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, here are the best bets for the Monday night matchup between the Vikings and Bears.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

Vikings at Bears Betting Picks on Monday Night Football

Bears +1.5 (-108)

Evaluating these two squads, I think the market's adjustment for the Bears' projected improvement is here. I'm not sure the Vikings' potential decline is.

Many are confident in J.J. McCarthy because of his draft capital in a system that Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold into 4,000-yard passers. However, the youngster still has to prove it against a stiff Chicago D, which was numberFire's 14th-ranked unit a year ago and inherits a huge coordinator upgrade in the form of Dennis Allen.

Your first start on the road at Soldier Field in primetime? Also not ideal.

Brian Flores is still on the defensive sticks for Minnesota, but they underwent plenty of change in the secondary with Stephon Gilmore and Cameron Bynum in new places. That could be a tough adjustment without much preseason action for many starters.

In the opening week, it could significantly favor the Bears that they did ramp up in the preseason quite a bit. Caleb Williams and his new offensive line played a bit of action in all three weeks -- the first two of which came at this same venue. That could prove to be the difference in a tight contest.

Under 43.5 Points (-110)
Vikings Under 23.5 Points (-148)

With all the new, I'm not sure we can trust a potential shootout -- though that didn't stop the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets yesterday.

Of course, there's a trend that's pretty well-known at this point. Primetime unders are 37-25 (59.7%) since the start of 2020. Short of having Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, it makes sense in noteworthy contests that coordinators protect their signal-callers and tighten the reins.

Those "reins" could be in check in terms of pass rate in this one, too. It'll be interesting to see where Minnesota falls on that spectrum considering the gap between their +3.9% pass rate over expectation (third in the NFL) last season and the 40.4% pass rate that McCarthy's Michigan Wolverines had in his final collegiate season. At the minimum, the Vikings' pass rate should decline -- especially as long as Jordan Addison (suspension) is out. They did likely add Jordan Mason for a purpose.

Meanwhile, Ben Johnson should up the rush rate in Chicago. Detroit was 12th-highest in rush rate over expectation (3.5%) last year despite a stocked cabinet out wide.

Minnesota's team total is a combination of these two angles, and it comes at a surprisingly high price considering the team's 25.4 PPG last season. That's a hidden indicator that McCarthy might not be the plug-and-play option that some are expecting.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.