Bears vs Vikings: 3 Player Props and Best Bet for Monday Night Football

Coming into the season, tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Chicago Bears (4-9) and the Minnesota Vikings (11-2) looked like a potential matchup of two teams using rookie quarterbacks in their first of many primetime contests.

Chicago’s Caleb Williams will be participating on Monday night. The first-year player has started all 13 games for the Bears despite Chicago making a mid-season change by firing head coach Matt Eberflus this year. Now, Thomas Brown is leading the team into tonight’s contest after dropping his first outing, a 38-13 game against San Francisco.

Minnesota’s rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy was lost after a preseason game this year, and the Vikings have turned to Sam Darnold this season. Darnold is piloting the league’s ninth-best offense as Minnesota is scoring 26.1 points per contest.

Can Chicago end its seven-game slide, or will the Vikings earn their seventh consecutive victory? We’ll cover that and our three favorite player prop bets for this Monday Night Football matchup.

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold OVER 253.5 Passing Yards

Talk about reviving your career. Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold was a potential placeholder for McCarthy coming into this season, and the Vikings looked primed to let him start a handful of games while the rookie learned under the veteran’s tutelage.

Instead, Darnold has already had his best season with four more games to play. He’s thrown for a career-best 3,299 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions to help the Vikings start the year at 11-2.

In his previous matchup against Chicago, Darnold threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns during the team’s 30-27 overtime victory over the Bears. Tonight, expect him to have another strong outing and easily surpass the 254-yard mark needed to cover his player prop bet.

Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift UNDER 49.5 Rushing Yards

Chicago’s offense has been stagnant under Eberflus despite adding several pieces to improve their team during the offseason. Running back D’Andre Swift was one of those pieces as the fifth-year player joined the Bears after a 1,000-yard season in Philadelphia during the 2023 season.

This season has been anything but smooth for the 25-year-old. Despite a strong mid-season stride with four straight games with over 70 rushing yards, he’s been held to under 40 yards in each of the past three outings. Bettors should take the under on this player prop bet for Monday night.

Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson OVER 81.5 Receiving Yards

Through 13 games, Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson has displayed all the characteristics of an All-Pro athlete. He was among the top five in catches (75) and receiving yards (1,170) heading into Week 15.

In the first matchup, Chicago held Jefferson to just 27 yards on two receptions. A second game with that quiet of a performance would be hard to imagine. Expect him to erupt for 100 or more yards on Monday night to cover his player prop bet.

Best Bet: Vikings (-7)

Certainly, I get that the Bears and Vikings have a rivalry that goes back for decades. Still, even if this were double figures, I’d take Minnesota giving up 10 or more points to Chicago. The Vikings are the better team, and the Bears look like the 2024 season cannot end fast enough.