Every year, the first game of the season comes with plenty of hype and anticipation. But for the Vikings, it feels like this year is on a different level. This is a team that won 14 games last season and still felt comfortable letting its quarterback depart in free agency, which is basically unprecedented. The reigning NFL coach of the year has put his faith in 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy, who is tasked with leading a roster that looks even better on paper than the 2024 version.
And the stage for Week 1 couldn’t be much better. It’s Monday Night Football to wrap up the opening weekend in the league. It’s McCarthy making his debut just 30 minutes away from where he grew up. It’s a division rivalry against a team with a new head coach and a second-year quarterback who went No. 1 overall in the draft where McCarthy went 10th. The storylines are beyond juicy.
After opening as 1.5-point underdogs, the Vikings have swung around to being 1.5-point road favorites. With so much uncertainty, Vegas views this as being pretty close to a toss-up. What does our staff think? Let’s dive into our picks.
I can’t wait for this one. Obviously, all eyes will be on J.J. McCarthy, but there are so many other intriguing things to watch. Can the Vikings finally figure out an efficient run game after upgrading their offensive line and bringing in Jordan Mason? Does Ben Johnson still have Brian Flores’ number now that he doesn’t have the Lions’ offensive weapons? If you want to get more niche, is Vikings undrafted rookie Myles Price ready for the spotlight in the return game? I’m expecting some ups and downs from McCarthy and a strong performance from Flores’ defense against Caleb Williams and company, which should lead to a fairly low-scoring affair. Kevin O’Connell is 26-10 in one-score games as the Vikings’ head coach, so give me his team over the one led by a first-time head coach.
Ben Johnson this, Caleb Williams that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get it: the Bears have some hype. Do you know what they don’t have? They don’t have anything real. On paper, they’ve improved, but there is zero prove to this point that they will be good enough to compete with a team like the Vikings. In fact, up here in Minnesota, we still remember the Bears that lost 10 straight games before barely beating the Packers in the regular-season finale last season. Chicago won’t be able to run the ball on Minnesota, and Williams is going to be under an incredible amount of pressure from start to finish. Minnesota’s performance might remind Chicagoans of the ’85 Bears.
With first-year head coach Ben Johnson and an anticipated year-two jump for Caleb Williams, the Bears have become a trendy breakout team this season. We should expect to see improvements from Chicago this season, but I am taking a wait-and-see approach. I am leaning towards a proven coaching staff, and I think Kevin O’Connell will have his first-year starting QB, J.J. McCarthy, ready for the moment. The Vikings make a statement in Week 1 with a divisional win on national TV.
Despite J.J. McCarthy making his NFL debut, it will be the Vikings’ defense that comes away as the big talking point Monday night. Now in Year 3 of the Flores system and with a revamped defensive line, this group is set to feast. Jonathan Greenard, in particular, should be in line for a big game against Bears left tackle Braxton Jones. The Vikings’ offense will have its moments as McCarthy gets his legs under him in the NFL, but this one won’t feel close. Vikings run away with the season opener and send a message to the doubters.
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