The Chicago Bears will learn a lot about their team in the season opener on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field. The Bears will host the Minnesota Vikings for a Monday Night Football contest that will feature the debut of head coach Ben Johnson and Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Per ESPN BET, Minnesota is a 1.5-point favorite to beat the Bears. The Vikings are coming off a season where they finished 14-3 with Sam Darnold under center and made it to the wild card before being knocked off by the Los Angeles Rams 27-9.
The game will be a good gauge as to where the Bears stand in the new NFC North. Here are three unknowns both teams have heading into Week 1.
Chicago Bears-Minnesota Vikings Week 1 unknowns
How good is J.J. McCarthy?
The Bears and Vikings took a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 draft. Caleb Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner in 2022, went No. 1. McCarthy was taken at No. 10 after leading Michigan to a national title.
Williams went on to have a solid rookie season, though he lost out on the NFL Rookie of the Year award to the No. 2 pick, Jayden Daniels. McCarthy sat out last year after he had to have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee from the preseason.
McCarthy has plenty of tools to be successful in Minnesota. Head coach Kevin O’Connell has a quarterback-friendly system that helped Sam Darnold earn a three-year, $100 million contract from the Seattle Seahawks in March. He also has a solid offensive line and pass catchers led by wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The Bears will learn what kind of threat McCarthy will be for the future of the NFC North next Monday night.
How is Dennis Allen going to generate a pass rush?
McCarthy isn’t technically a rookie, but the Bears should scheme as if he is in Week 1. Chicago defensive coordinator Dennis Allen should bring pressure on McCarthy until he proves he can handle passing with 250-300-pound pass rushers in his face.
Outside of Montez Sweat, the Bears have uncertainty at pass rusher. Austin Booker is on injured reserve. Newcomer Dayo Odeyingbo and the interior defensive line didn’t show much promise in that area when they played the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 of the preseason.
Thankfully, McCarthy isn’t Patrick Mahomes.
Will Allen dial up blitzes with linebackers and Jaquan Brisker? Or will the Bears rush four and trust a solid secondary to hold up against Jefferson and a Jordan Addison-less receiver corps?
How the Bears impact McCarthy in his first NFL start could be the difference between Johnson starting 1-0 or 0-1 in Chicago.
Have the Bears fixed their running game?
Behind D’Andre Swift, the Bears have two running backs who have battled injuries in the preseason in Roschon Johnson and rookie Kyle Monangai. Swift had a career-worst 3.8 yards per rush last season. Chicago’s inability to run the ball hurt Williams and the passing game in 2024.
Johnson’s use of running backs with the Detroit Lions helped take the pressure off Jared Goff. The Bears have one of the most talented pass catching rosters in the league, and they’ll look even better if the offense isn’t one-dimensional.
Swift ran for 28 yards on seven carries during his only preseason action against the Chiefs. He showed some explosive moves, but he’s going to need to be dynamic in what looks to be a suspect backfield.
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