After hitting a bump in the road in the middle of the season, the Minnesota Vikings are playing their best football, enjoying a six-game winning streak ahead of Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bears.
While the Vikings are coming off a 42-21 win over Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons, they’ll also have some added energy debuting the “Winter Warrior” uniforms on "Monday Night Football."
Minnesota has split their last two “whiteout” games at U.S. Bank Stadium, defeating the New York Giants on Christmas Eve 2022 and falling to the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve 2023, but the Bears are a team the Vikings can pick on, entering Monday’s game with seven straight losses after starting the season with a 4-2 record.
It creates what should be a blowout under the primetime lights but here are three bold predictions to see whether the Vikings can come out on top Monday night.
Bold Minnesota Vikings predictions for Week 15 vs. the Chicago Bears
1. Sam Darnold will throw five touchdowns for the second straight game
On a day when Cousins garnered most of the attention, Sam Darnold stole the show. After throwing for 347 yards and five touchdowns in the win over the Falcons, many fans are wondering what Darnold could do for an encore. So why not throw for five more touchdowns?
It’s something that could happen against the Bears on Monday night. Chicago held Justin Jefferson to two catches for 27 yards during a 30-27 overtime victory in Chicago on November 24 but Darnold adapted by throwing to everyone else on the roster.
Jordan Addison had eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had his best game of the year, grabbing seven passes for 114 yards. While Jefferson laughed at the thought of his teammates going off, it had to eat at him that he didn’t get in on the fun.
It all leads to a cast of motivated targets that could help Darnold become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to throw five touchdowns in back-to-back games and the second in Vikings history, joining Daunte Culpepper, who did it in 2004.
2. The Vikings will hold D’Andre Swift under 30 yards
The vibes are tremendous around the Vikings right now, but an area of concern is the defense’s ability to stop the run.
Bijan Robinson (22 carries, 92 yards, TD) and Tyler Allgeier (nine carries, 63 yards, TD) helped the Falcons run for 158 yards and just under five yards a carry to allow Atlanta to stay in the game through the first three quarters last week and the loss of Ivan Pace Jr., who is Pro Football Focus’s 12th-graded linebacker against the run, didn’t help Minnesota.
But the Vikings have a softer matchup on Monday night. Chicago has averaged 3.7 yards per carry this season, and Swift was held to 30 yards on 13 carries in the Vikings’ win at Chicago last month.
It may not be a sufficient warm-up to go against run-heavy teams like Seattle, Green Bay, and Detroit down the stretch. But it could instill some confidence in a defense that needs some faith in their ability to stop the run.
3. Caleb Williams will throw an interception
With as much throwing as there is in the NFL, the odds of a quarterback throwing an interception aren’t that bold. But as turbulent as Caleb Williams’ rookie year has been, he’s done a good job at not giving the ball to his opponent.
The Bears haven’t won over the past seven weeks, but Williams’ decision-making hasn’t been the main reason. His last interception came during an October 13 win over Jacksonville in London and he’s also looked better since Thomas Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator, throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to the Vikings.
Then again, the Bears offense had two total yards in the first half against the 49ers last week and a lot of Williams’ supporting cast look like they’re making offseason plans to Galveston. Mix in a raucous environment at U.S. Bank Stadium, and Williams could throw his first pick in nearly two months, triggering whatever Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus have up their sleeves for a celebration.
Prediction: Vikings win 38-7