After a historic offensive performance fueled a 59-37 win in last weekend's season opener at Carolina, the Bears will look to improve to 2-0 Sunday when they begin their home slate against the Vikings at Soldier Field.
The 59 points are tied for the second-most by an NFL team in a season opener and are the fourth-most in Bears history in any game. In addition, the offense tied a franchise record with six rushing touchdowns, generated its most rushing yards in a game (291) since Sept. 9, 1984, and produced at least 14 points in all four quarters for only the second time in team annals.
As he has done since becoming Bears coach last year, Ben Johnson quickly turned the page to the Vikings. When a reporter asked Wednesday whether he's concerned about guarding against overconfidence, he said: "We haven't put up any points this week."
Minnesota presents an entirely different challenge, led by superstar receiver Justin Jefferson, a strong running game and an aggressive defense coordinated by Brian Flores that traditionally leads the NFL in blitz rate.
Last Sunday, the Vikings scored the game's final 29 points against the visiting Packers, turning a 22-10 late third-quarter deficit into a 39-22 victory. It was Minnesota's sixth straight win dating back to last season.
With the Lions (1-1) losing to the Bills 41-31 Thursday night in Buffalo, the winner of Sunday's Bears-Vikings clash will take sole possession of first place in the NFC North at 2-0.
"This is a really good team coming in," Johnson said. "The way that they finished last year and they started this year, they're hot."
When the Bears have the ball
Caleb Williams quarterbacks an offense that generated the most points, total yards and rushing yards of any NFL team in Week 1. The unit scored eight touchdowns, including four on four red-zone opportunities.
In addition, Williams became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 269 yards and 2 TDs, rush for at least 65 yards and 2 TDs, post at least a 124.1 passer rating, complete at least 72% of his passes and not commit a turnover in a game.
The Bears also boast a dynamic 1-2 backfield duo of D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, who both rushed for at least 100 yards in the season opener for the second time in their last seven games. They first accomplished the feat last Nov. 28 in a 24-15 Black Friday win in Philadelphia, marking the first time two Bears both rushed for at least 100 yards in a game since Nov. 10, 1985.
Williams and his teammates have spent the week preparing for a Vikings defense that led the NFL with a 46.0% blitz rate last year, a process the quarterback told reporters Johnson described as "mental war." In Week 1 against the Packers, Flores' defense blitzed on 78.3% of dropbacks.
"It comes from all over the place," Johnson said. "He'll hit you in the 'A' gaps. He'll hit you from outside the tackles. He likes to bring zero (no safety over the top) more than any other coordinator in this league … He keeps you on your toes, so as offensive coaches, you take a lot of pride in giving the quarterback and the offensive players answers and solutions to whatever problems that could unveil themselves on gameday."
Asked about getting Williams ready for Sunday's game, offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Thursday: "It's on us to simplify his thought process as much as possible. If this happens, here's your answer. If that happens, here's your contingency plan. And then it's the process he's going to put in, and that's something about going against these guys: it takes every moment of every single day to feel like you're prepared for what's going to come.
"And then they're going to throw wrinkles at us, so now you've got to fall back on basically the standard operating procedure we set in place right here. We may have to adjust on the sideline of what that play is, but I think we'll do our very best to give him a clear, concise process for each play, and then it's on him to execute that, and it's on us to adjust if things change."
The Vikings defense is led by edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner, tackle Jalen Redmond and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. In Minnesota's Week 1 win, Van Ginkel (1.5) and Turner (1.0) combined for 2.5 sacks.
Key matchup: Bears left guard Joe Thuney vs. Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond
The winner of the inaugural NFL Protector of the Year Award as the league's best offensive lineman last season, Thuney will at times face Redmond, who anchors Minnesota's interior defensive line. The 6-3, 305-pounder emerged as a run stuffer and pass rusher in his second season with the Vikings last year, registering 62 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 sacks. Redmond usually lines up in different spots, so he could match up against right guard Jonah Jackson as much as Thuney.
"He was somebody that we really noticed," said offensive coordinator Press Taylor. "We played them Week 11 last year, and he was a guy that had really come on and made an impact. He can move up and down the formation a little bit based on what personnel grouping they're in and where he plays. He's a load. He's quick like a lot of their guys are. There's a lot of team speed in the way they play and the chaos they're able to cause with the movement and things like that. He's a guy that's really flashed to us going back to last year as well."
When the Vikings have the ball
Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell announced Friday that quarterback Kyler Murray has been ruled out of Sunday's game due to a concussion he sustained against the Packers and will be replaced by veteran Carson Wentz. After Murray exited the season opener in the first quarter, Wentz completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards, three touchdowns and a 123.5 passer rating.
Last year, Wentz became the first quarterback in NFL history to start for six different teams in six consecutive seasons, having previously opened games for the Eagles (2020), Colts (2021), Commanders (2022), Rams (2023) and Chiefs (2024). He is 4-0 all-time against the Bears, having thrown for 755 yards with five TDs, no interceptions and a 91.0 passer rating.
The Vikings boast one of the NFL's top receivers in Jefferson, who has been named All-Pro and voted to the Pro Bowl in four of his five seasons. Last year, he joined Randy Moss and Mike Evans as the only players in NFL history to record six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career. Jefferson starred last Sunday against the Packers, catching eight passes for 92 yards and two TDs.
Minnesota's rushing attack has also been potent during its six-game winning streak, averaging 125.8 yards per game over that span. Jordan Mason (59) and Aaron Jones (49) combined for 99 yards against Green Bay, with both backs rushing for a TD.
"It really starts with the running game," said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. "If you date back all the way to last season, they've won six in a row, and really it's been a lot about being able to run the ball effectively."
In Week 1, the Bears defense made some key stops and generated two takeaways but allowed 37 points and 478 total yards. On Sunday, Allen would like to see the unit do a better job of tackling, controlling the line of scrimmage, executing assignments and eliminating mental mistakes.
"We know that we're in a race to improve this week, as are all the other football teams in the National Football League," Allen said. "You go out and play Week 1, sometimes you play great, sometimes you don't play as well as you want to. You've got to make the necessary corrections, and then we're in a race to improve and be better this week against a really good opponent."
Key matchup: Bears defensive end Montez Sweat vs. Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill
After leading the Bears with 10.0 sacks last year, Sweat picked up in the opener where he left off, sacking Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. The veteran will look to keep that momentum going in Week 2—likely against O'Neill, who is listed as questionable after hurting his knee in practice Wednesday. O'Connell expressed optimism that O'Neill would play after watching him work out on a limited basis Friday.
