Monday Night NFL Stone-Cold Lock 12/28/09

By DARREN BONTRAGER, FreshSportsDaily.com Betting Guru



OddsMaker.com Line - Vikings -7½ @ Bears

Monday night's NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears is the last football game of this decade and possibly the last game I will handicap for FSD.com, especially if tonight's pick doesn't come through. Big smiles! On to the analysis:

• The Vikings may be in the midst of the late-season Favre-ian tailspin that we have come so accustomed to seeing in the past few years. Favre led the Vikings to a 10-1 start by throwing 24 touchdowns and three interceptions, but the 40-year-old has had three TDs and four interceptions in the three games since.


• Both of the Vikings’ recent losses have come away from the Metrodome, and they’re 1-7 at Soldier Field since 2001, including last season’s 48-41 defeat. Favre is 13-3 all-time in Chicago, but has lost in two of his last three trips there.


• Chicago gave up four touchdowns through the air in last week’s 31-7 loss in Baltimore, its eighth defeat in 10 games.


• If Vikings' receiver Percy Harvin has recovered from migraine headaches, Favre will have back his best big-play threat, with all apologies to Adrian Peterson. Harvin had a career-best 101 yards and a touchdown in last month’s 36-10 win over the Bears.

My recommendation is to take Minnesota and lay the 7½ points. Chicago is a team is disarray and the players have given up on trying to save Lovie Smith's job. The Vikings have had their problems of late as well, but are clearly the superior team and should handle the Bears rather easily, outdoors or not, on the road or not.



The Pick - Minnesota Vikings 29 Chicago Bears 10