Bears, Vikings & Playoffs Oh My – November 27

The Minnesota Vikings take on their NFC North rivals the Chicago Bears tonight in Monday Night Football. The Vikings recent surge – five wins in their last six games – have put the team squarely into the NFC playoff picture. At 6-5, Minnesota is currently the No. 6 seed in the conference. 

A win tonight won’t move them in the playoff standings, but it would further solidify the Vikings spot. Minnesota is second in the NFC North Division behind 8-3 Detroit. Atlanta, which is just 5-6, leads the NFC South and is the No. 4 seed. The four division winners are the top four seeds. Behind Atlanta is Dallas, which is 8-3 and trails 10-1 Philadelphia in the NFC East. 

Vikings Turnaround

Vikings and the playoffs did not go together early in the 2023 NFL season. Minnesota lost its first three games of the season before getting its first win in Week 4 against Carolina. The Panthers are currently 1-10 and are the worst team in the NFL. The Vikings would lose the following week to defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City 27-20.

What was interesting about the Vikings 1-4 start is that each of their losses were by one score or less. The 7-point loss to the Chiefs was their biggest of the season. The Vikings lost by 3, 6, and 4 points in their first three games. Minnesota was close. All they needed was a win.

The turnaround started, ironically, when the Vikings played the Bears for the first time this season in Week 6. Minnesota’s defense knocked Bears QB Justin Fields out of the game and went on to win 19-13. That would start a five-game winning streak for the Vikings. Minnesota beat the 49ers, the Packers, Falcons, and Saints before losing last week 21-20 to Denver. 

The biggest loss for the Vikings came in Week 8 when starting QB Kirk Cousins went down with a torn Achilles tendon. With Cousins done for the season, the Vikings had to turn to fifth-round draft pick and rookie Jaren Hall. That didn’t go so well, so the Vikings traded for Josh Dobbs, who led Minnesota to two straight wins in his first two starts. He will try and make it 3-1 with a win over Chicago tonight.

Handicappers Rule NFL Sunday

There’s a good reason why gamblers are joining Sports Hub in droves. Sure, we’ve got great content and inside information that the masses don’t have, but what really drives the SportsHub engine are our expert handicappers. Yesterday was just another example of why so many bettors are using our services. 

Scott’s Picks took the top spot yesterday winning 13 of his whopping 18 picks. Sports Hub expert Joe Berra was among the top-5 as was another of our experts, Seth Cohen, who has a pick in the system for the Bears-Vikings game already.

Here’s how our handicappers did yesterday.

• Big winner: As mentioned, Scott’s Picks went 13-5 yesterday and won a grand total of $758. 

• Smokin’ Joe: Our expert Joe Berra rocked out five picks yesterday and went a perfect 5-0. Three of those predictions were NFL picks and Joe took home $500. It’s been a pretty hot three days for Joe who is 11-3 with $770 in winnings over that span.
• Betting a 10-pack: Sean Kuchman took a shot at his own version of the 10-piece nugget. Sean went 7-3 on 10 picks, 5 of which were NFL picks. Sean hit 3 of those 5 and ended up with $452 and the third spot on yesterday’s board.
• Cooper the Capper: Jay Cooper comes to us from our friends at UltimateCapper.com. He was a perfect 4-0 yesterday, nailing all three of his NFL picks and winning $400 in the process. He has hit four of his last five NFL picks.
• Expert Seth: Our expert Seth Cohen displayed his skills once again with a perfect 3-0 day, all on NFL picks. As mentioned, he’s got a pick available for tonight’s Bears-Vikings games in our database already. We have half a dozen picks right now and there will be plenty more by game time. Check the members’ area throughout the day.
• NFL experts: As you figure out how you’re going to bet tonight’s Bears-Vikings game, keep in mind the top-4 NFL handicappers here are all Sports Hub experts with winning percentages of 68.75 percent or higher over the last 30 days. Randall Dickelman, Ben Miller, Patrick Doyle, and Gino Russo are a combined 55-18 with winnings totaling in excess of $3000. Just sayin’.

QBs Shine in Sunday NFL

It was a great day for certain quarterbacks in the NFL. Trevor Lawrence had a big day in his AFC South matchup with Houston. Jalen Hurts led Philadelphia to an exciting overtime victory and Patrick Mahomes had the Chiefs offense running efficiently. Saints QB Derek Carr had himself a day too, but he couldn’t do it all as New Orleans lost to Atlanta.

Let’s look at trending NFL quarterbacks.

• Driving the Carr: The Saints quarterback went 24-of-38 for 304 yards but did not throw a touchdown. He had New Orleans within two at 14-12 in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons pulled out a 24-15 win.
• Hurts so good: Philly’s QB accounted for all five touchdowns in the Eagles 37-34 overtime win against Buffalo. Hurts went 18-of-31 for 200 yards and 3 TDs and ran the ball 14 times for 65 yards and two more scores. His 12-yard scoring run in overtime gave Philly the victory, its 10th of the season.

• Well-oiled Mahomes machine: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes went 27-for-34 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception and was sacked just once. The Chiefs beat the Raiders 31-17. After spotting Las Vegas 14 points, KC outscored the Raiders 31-3 in the game’s final 37 minutes.
• T-Law rules: Trevor Lawrence hit 23 of his 38 passes for 364 yards and a touchdown as the Jags beat the Texans in a crucial AFC South matchup. Lawrence led the Jags on a 10-play, 54-yard drive that was capped by Brandon McManus’ 54-yard field goal. That would prove to be the winning points.

Bears-Vikings Could Be Historic

Yes, Monday Night Football is tonight and it’s the Bears against the Vikings in an NFC North clash. The game could be historic if the Vikings win and cover the 3-point spread. Heading into tonight, favorites have covered 12 of 15 games in Week 12. That ties the record for the most in a single week. There has never been a week in the Super Bowl era where 13 favorites covered the spread. The Vikings could help set the record tonight.

What else is on today’s schedule?

1. Monday Night Football: We’ve mentioned it plenty, but one more time ought to cement it into your brain. The Bears play in Minnesota against the Vikings tonight. Game time is 8:15 p.m. ET. We have half a dozen picks in our database already.

2. College basketball: No. 5 UConn hosts New Hampshire in the only game tonight featuring a ranked team. After a week full of college basketball, tonight’s schedule is pretty light. Still a lot of opportunity out there though.
3. International soccer: La Liga, Serie A, and the Premier League all have matches on the schedule today. There are also a number of lower-tier leagues in action today. Check our database for soccer picks.
4. NBA: You can take in an NBATV doubleheader tonight. Watch Giannis and the Bucks take on the Heat in Miami in the early game. Out West, it’s the Clippers at Sacramento in the nightcap.
5. NHL: Six games are on the NHL schedule tonight. Boston, with the best record in the Eastern Conference, is at Columbus, which happens to have the worst record in the East. 
6. Women’s tennis: The Argentina Open and the Creand-Andorra Open both start today. The men will get back at it tomorrow when the Next Gen ATP Finals start in Saudi Arabia.

There is enough on the schedule to find some great value. Need help? Sports Hub is here for you. Check out our Monday Night Football picks page to get you primed up and ready for tonight. You’ll find best bets and more. You can also visit the members’ area and see how our expert handicappers see tonight’s game. Bet wisely and come back tomorrow with a win!