Each week, I produce NFL predictions on Pickswise. For NFL Week 12, I’ve targeted two matchups featuring three of the NFC North squads. Check out my favorite bets below for NFL Week 12!
Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears predictions
Vikings vs Bears Point Spread Pick: Chicago +3.5 (-110)
The Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday in a pivotal NFC North matchup for both teams. The Bears fired their OC Shane Waldron before their Week 11 matchup against the Green Bay Packers last weekend. While the offense did improve, Green Bay walked away with a 20-19 victory. A blocked field goal at the end of regulation caused this result. The Bears cannot get out of their own way. They had the chance to run another play before attempting to kick a game-winning FG. However, head coach Matt Eberflus elected to kick on 2nd down instead. Now, they’re facing a must-win situation against Minnesota, or they may want to start looking toward the NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, Minnesota has been one of the bigger surprises this NFL season, and they picked up their third straight victory last weekend on the road against the Tennessee Titans 23-13. Although it was an ugly victory, it still counts in the win column, and the Vikings are just one game behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC North, while the Packers sit one game behind Minnesota. QB Sam Darnold has been effective in Kevin O’Connell’s offense, and Brian Flores has this Minnesota defense playing extremely well. Minnesota has only been exposed by veteran QBs this season, but they are now playing in their third straight game on the road so they may start to show some fatigue.
As much as the Bears have fallen off after a 4-2 start, this game could be a turning point in their season. A win keeps them in the playoff hunt, and they’ve played quite well at Soldier Field this season. Chicago is 4-2 in front of their home fans and 5-1 against the spread, while the Vikings are 3-2 against the number playing on the road. However, they’re 1-5 ATS in their last six games against NFC North opponents, so I’ll take Chicago with the points and expect Sunday’s game to come down to field goal on either side.
Vikings vs Bears prediction: Bears +3.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing, playable at that number.
Vikings vs Bears Game Total (Over/Under) Pick: Under 39.5 (-110) – ⭐ ️BEST BET ⭐
My main Vikings vs Bears prediction for Sunday is for this NFC North matchup to be an absolute slugfest. While I did like what I saw from Chicago’s newly appointed playcaller Thomas Brown last weekend against the Packers, going up against a Brian Flores-led defense will be a different animal. Minnesota is blitzing opposing QBs at a 37.7% clip (1st in the NFL) this season, and the Vikings have caused fits for young quarterbacks. Minnesota has faced Daniel Jones, Brock Purdy, C.J. Stroud, Jordan Love, Mac Jones and Will Levis this season, and only Love and the Packers had success in a 31-29 defeat. However, the other 5 QBs managed to lead their offense to an average of just 10.5 points, and even if you had the Packers’ high-scoring game, that average only goes up to 13.1 points.
On the flip side, the Bears defense has been one of the lone bright spots for this Chicago team. In their six home games, the Bears have allowed an average of 16.7 points per contest, and no team has scored more than 20 points at Soldier Field. Additionally, Minnesota’s offense has sputtered in recent weeks after their hot start, and they’ve averaged just 21.0 points per game since their bye week. Chicago has done a great job containing opposing QBs at home this season, as only Jordan Love has thrown for more than 250 yards while facing the Bears in Chicago.
The Bears allow just 18.7 points per game (7th in the NFL), while the Vikings give up 17.0 (4th in the NFL). Chicago has seen each of their last four games finish Under while Minnesota’s last three contests finished Under as well. Additionally, the previous five meetings at Soldier Field between these squads finished Under the total. I expect all three trends to continue this Sunday and will back the Under in this NFC North rock fight.
Vikings vs Bears prediction: Under 39.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing, playable down to 38.5 (-110).
San Francisco 49ers vs Green Bay Packers predictions
49ers vs Packers Point Spread Pick: Green Bay -2.5 (-110)
The San Francisco 49ers travel to Green Bay this Sunday in FOX’s America’s Game of the Week, and the visitors desperately need a win. After picking up a 3-point road win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following their bye week in Week 9, the Niners suffered a brutal 3-point defeat at home against the Seattle Seahawks. Now, San Francisco finds themselves in last place in the competitive NFC West and currently has +200 odds to make the playoffs. Although QB Brock Purdy has played relatively well this season, he threw for 159 yards against Seattle to go with 1 TD and 1 INT. Now, he will go up against a Packers secondary that’s giving up just 207.5 passing yards per game (13th in the NFL).
Green Bay is coming off a nail-biter last weekend, but they escaped Chicago with a 20-19 victory over the Bears thanks to a last-second blocked field goal. Matt LaFleur remained undefeated against the Bears as the head coach of the Packers, and with a win on Sunday, he can improve to 3-2 against Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. These two teams went head to head in San Francisco in the Divisional Round last season, with the Niners escaping with a 23-20 victory. However, Green Bay will now be playing in front of their home fans, which should be the difference this Sunday.
Although the Packers are just 3-2 at Lambeau Field this season, LaFleur posted a 32-9 regular-season record (.780) at home entering the season, which ranks first among head coaches in the NFL since 2019. Additionally, he is 25-4 against non-divisional opponents at home all-time. Although the 49ers desperately need a win, they’ve been plagued with injuries this season. WR Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season, DL Nick Bosa left Sunday’s game against Seattle with a hip/oblique injury, QB Brock Purdy is day-to-day with right shoulder soreness, and LT Trent Williams is dealing with a sore ankle. They should get TE George Kittle back on Sunday, but all signs point to a home win for the Pack, and I’ll back them to win by 3+ this Sunday as they continue to chase the Detroit Lions for the NFC North crown.
49ers vs Packers prediction: Green Bay -2.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing, playable at that number.
49ers vs Packers Game Total (Over/Under) Pick: Under 47.5 (-110)
In addition to a Green Bay victory this Sunday, I anticipate that Sunday’s game will be a low-scoring affair as part of my 49ers vs Packers picks. San Francisco’s offense hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire, as they’ve scored 24 points or fewer in six of their 10 games this season. Additionally, 8 of San Francisco’s 10 opponents this season rank in the bottom half of the NFL in points allowed, and they put up just 18 and 17 points against Kansas City and Minnesota, who are the lone teams they’ve played that rank in the top half. Although some 49ers fans might point to the fact that RB Christian McCaffrey was out for most of those games, they’re only averaging 20 points per game in the two contests he’s played in.
Although the Niners offense has struggled at times this season, their defense has been fairly strong. They’re giving up just 22.2 points per contest (17th in the NFL) and are particularly good at stopping teams’ passing attacks (197.2 passing yards allowed per game – 8th in the NFL). Their secondary will be put to the test against a Packers offense averaging 238.2 yards per contest (9th in the NFL), and luckily for them, it looks like cornerback Charvarius Ward will be back in action after missing the last two weeks due to personal issues.
If San Francisco wants any chance to win this game, they’ll need their defense to come up big. I don’t see their offense scoring more than 20 points against Green Bay’s defense, as the Packers have improved week by week as they gear up for a deep playoff run. The total has gone Under in 4 of both teams’ last 6 games, and I expect this trend to continue in Green Bay on Sunday afternoon.
49ers vs Packers prediction: Under 47.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing, playable down to 47 (-110)