What Will Be the Bears Keys to Beating the Vikings in Week One?
The Chicago Bears will take on the Minnesota Vikings next Monday at Soldier Field to open their 2025 season. There has been a lot of buzz in Chicago, mainly surrounding their brand new head coach, Ben Johnson, and quarterback Caleb Williams. Pairing the two together alongside completely revamping the offensive line has Bears fans excited for an offense that has not had much excitement the past decade. Now with the regular season just a week away, Chicago will get to take on an in-division rival at home to get things underway in its new era. Looking at the matchup, there are a few key things the Bears need to focus on if they want to walk away with a Week One victory.
Pressure on J.J. McCarthy
The Vikings will get a first look at their brand new starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, for the first time in the regular season since drafting him in 2024. McCarthy would go down with a season-ending injury last year, which would almost completely affect his career and leave talks of him getting released from the Vikings. Nevertheless, Minnesota would decide to stick with the former Michigan Wolverine. Now, he will get the chance to start for the first time in an NFL regular-season game, which allows the Bears to rattle him as much as possible. The defensive line will become very important in making McCarthy as uncomfortable as possible, but many fans are concerned with the position group's performance in the preseason. Players on the Bears’ defensive line, like Montez Sweat, would struggle and look slow during the few snaps they’d get in this year's preseason. While it may be of concern, this game against a rookie quarterback will provide Sweat and his teammates the opportunity to get a fast start on the season and get their team a 1-0 start.
Caleb Williams Utilizes His Weapons
Most of the Bears’ biggest offseason moves this year were updating Williams' offense. Alongside a brand new offensive line, Williams will now be able to throw to both wide receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland, two college standouts. He will also once again have receivers D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze, providing him with an offense any quarterback would dream of. After an offseason filled with the media attacking Williams’ performance as a rookie despite an impressive stat line, his expectations are high, and he will need to get off to a fast start to the season. For Williams, he will need to lean on using his weapons to take down the Vikings for the first time in his career.
Slow Down Justin Jefferson
The biggest threat the Chicago defense will face, is wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The star receiver has become a staple of the Vikings offense and a complete nightmare for NFL defenses. Jefferson has had his way with the Bears, totaling 50 catches, 685 yards, and three touchdowns in eight games against them in his career. Luckily for Chicago, Jefferson’s health has been of concern since the preseason, leaving his status still not fully 100%. Keeping the pressure on him all game with someone like corner Jaylon Johnson will be a vital key to the Bears stopping the Vikings’ offense.
