The Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football to close out Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
It will mark the debut of new Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. It’s been an offseason of change for both sides, and there’s an early division lead on the line in prime time. There are a lot of different ways that this game can go. Both the Bears and Vikings believe that they can win, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that they can lose.
With that in mind, we’re examining what it would take for Chicago to beat Minnesota and what the Bears would have to do to lose to the Vikings.
Why the Bears will win
The Bears will win because they finally upgraded the head coach, weapons, and offensive line for quarterback Caleb Williams. None of the moves that they made felt like “bottom shelf” additions. Ben Johnson had the Detroit Lions offense scoring over 30 points per game in 2024, which led the NFL. He was the hottest coaching candidate on the market, and the Bears convinced him to choose them.
Guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman all make the offensive line significantly better. Each of them has been a great player on a winning team in the past, and now they will do their best to protect Williams. While right tackle Darnell Wright’s stock is on the rise, left tackle Braxton Jones still has plenty to prove.
Chicago added more weapons to help Williams, as well. They drafted tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III, as well as signed receiver Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency, to join the likes of wideouts Rome Odunze and DJ Moore, tight end Cole Kmet, and running back D’Andre Swift, giving the QB plenty of options to make plays.
Their defense still needs some help in terms of rushing the passer, but they have enough on the unit as a whole to support the offense. Their competition level with Dennis Allen as the defensive coordinator was impressive during camp and the preseason. If that continues in the regular season, they should be good enough.
Chicago will also be facing a first-year starter in JJ McCarthy. He was a National Championship-winning quarterback with Michigan, but he missed all of his rookie season with a knee injury. The Bears should be able to contain him enough to give themselves a chance.
Why the Bears won’t win
The Bears won’t win because, although Ben Johnson has great potential, he is a rookie head coach going up against an established head coach in Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell.
Chicago is also not elite at quarterback, pass rush, or left tackle. When you are living in that reality, it is hard to beat a team that went 14-3 a year prior. If Minnesota’s defense is as good as advertised, and McCarthy is as good as Sam Darnold, it could be an easy victory for them.
The Bears went 1-5 in the NFC North last year. If they didn’t come up with a Week 17 win over a Green Bay Packers team resting all of their players, it would have been 0-6. But they were competitive in most of those games and should’ve had at least one more victory. Although, until they prove otherwise, they are still the basement team in the division.
Sometimes, it takes a while for a new system under a new coaching staff to jell. If that’s the case for the Bears in 2025, it’ll be a tall order to beat the Vikings.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Why Bears will or won’t beat Vikings in Week 1
Reporting by Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
