The Chicago Bears have been crowned kings of the offseason by the NFL at large. However, all of the buzz will die down immediately if the Bears don’t prove their turnaround is legit.
Playing in the NFC North, Chicago will have an uphill battle if they want to make the postseason. The Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings all made the playoffs in 2024 and aren’t looking to give up their spot.
But Ben Johnson’s new-look franchise won’t have to wait long to show both the North and the entire league what they’re made of. The Bears will open their 2025 season on Monday Night Football against the Vikings, via Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports.
Sources: The #Bears will open their season at home on ESPN’s Monday Night Football against the #Vikings, marking Ben Johnson’s debut as head coach.
A primetime divisional matchup to close out Week 1. pic.twitter.com/IW3bLutSBP
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) May 14, 2025
Chicago Bears must make statement against Vikings
Johnson’s head coaching debut will come under the bright lights at Soldier Field with the entire world watching. Obviously, he isn’t looking to walk around the sidelines with an egg on his face. For all the hype the Bears have draw, they’ll now have the league’s biggest stage to begin their potential turnaround.
The Chicago vs Minnesota rivalry has been all one-sided recently. The Vikings have won eight of their team’s last 10 matchups, taking a 68-58-2 lead in the all-time series. Furthermore, Minnesota has been to the playoffs two out of the last three seasons and six times overall since 2010. Chicago hasn’t made the postseason since 2020 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2010.
Still, things will look much differently when both teams match up in 2025. The Vikings are preparing to debut quarterback JJ McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a meniscus tear. Minnesota has high hopes for McCarthy after using the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, his NFL debut will now come on the road with the added pressure of the Monday Night Football hype.
While Williams has a full season under his belt, the quarterback certainly isn’t off the hook. He may have set Bears rookie records in passing yards (3,541) and touchdowns (20) as a rookie, but Williams failed to live up to his No. 1 pick expectations. After how the Bears aggressively built their roster around him during the offseason, Williams cannot afford to struggle playing in a primetime game.
Johnson’s arrival to the Windy City took the Bears from an NFL laughing stock to a team truly on the rise. However, if the head coach doesn’t lead Chicago towards actual success, the franchise will find themselves in the NFC North cellar once more.
Their Week 1 matchup against the Vikings will be Johnson, Williams and the Bears first steps to what they hope is a much brighter future in Chicago.
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