NFL 2025 Week 1: Vikings Set For Soldier Field Showdown vs. Ben Johnson’s Bears
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Matt Krohn
Hop on the ship while you can, NFL fans. The Minnesota Vikings are setting sail for the Super Bowl.
Week 1 could begin an unforgettable 2025 season for the Vikings. They’ll face a familiar foe, the Chicago Bears, in the first Monday Night Football game of the year. No punches will be pulled–this isn’t preseason anymore. This is real football with real stakes. Get ready for a fight.
Here’s what to watch as the Vikings, led by reigning Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell (or KOC, as the fans know him), take on Ben Johnson’s Bears at Soldier Field.
Keys to the Game
How much will the Vikings throw the ball?
Jordan Addison’s suspension hurts the Vikings' offense. Still, the Vikings have other talented pass catchers. Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and recently acquired Adam Thielen have all been Pro Bowlers at least once.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, however, has no NFL regular-season experience. McCarthy has held the team’s confidence all offseason as the starting QB for this loaded offense. He’s set up for success, but we shouldn’t expect him to be elite in his first real NFL game. He’ll be facing a hostile Chicago crowd under primetime lights. McCarthy may not throw the ball much in Week 1.
Will the run game break out instead?
It’s not a bad idea to try to win this game on the ground. Last time the Vikings played the Bears, they scored two rushing TDs in a 30-12 beatdown. Last time starting running back Aaron Jones touched Soldier Field, he ran for 106 yards and a TD.
The Vikings have only gotten better since then. RB Jordan Mason, added through an offseason trade, is a wrecking ball. He was just 29th in carries in the NFL last season, yet was sixth in yards per carry and 10th in yards after contact per attempt. The Vikings also rebuilt the offensive line with free agents Will Fries and Ryan Kelly, along with first-round rookie Donovan Jackson. If this becomes a battle in the trenches, the Vikings should have the upper hand. Their RBs could slice through a Bears secondary whose back seven starters all missed at least nine tackles last season.
Is the Vikings' defense still dominant?
The Vikings' defense was (mostly) stellar last season. They were tied for first in takeaways. They were fourth in sacks. Their run defense ranked second in fewest yards allowed. They were fifth in fewest points allowed per game. The statistics go on, and I could too. It was fun to watch.
But they had some slip-ups, too. In the three regular-season games the Vikings lost last season, they allowed 30+ points and lost to the Detroit Lions twice, including an ugly 9-31 beatdown in Detroit. Their season ended in the Wild Card Round after the Los Angeles Rams destroyed them in a 9-27 contest.
The secondary is a concern this year. The Vikings re-signed Bryon Murphy Jr. and grabbed Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah in free agency, but they also let safety Cam Bynum leave for the Indianapolis Colts. The rest of the defense is still scary, but the Vikings’ pass coverage will make or break this game.
My Prediction
Vikings 27, Bears 9
The Vikings are ready to break the Bears. The trade for Thielen will give McCarthy more security in the passing game. I expect the run game to dominate, and I think that the Vikings’ defense gets home early and often to sack Caleb Williams four or more times.
My final prediction: a 27-9 smackdown where the Vikings put the league on notice.
Look out, NFL. Skol season is upon us once again.