Chicago Bears to maul Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football

What: Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings
Where: Soldier Field
When: Monday, September 8th, 2025

Quarterback questions surround the first Monday Night Football game of the year. Will Caleb Williams bounce back in his sophomore campaign with offensive mastermind Ben Johnson at the controls? And can J.J. McCarthy lead the Vikings to a NFC North title after a knee injury cost him his rookie season?

Let's look at the Week 1 betting lines for Bears vs Vikings. Odds are subject to change.

	Spread	Money Line	Total Points
Minnesota Vikings	-1.5 (-110)	-125	Un 44.0 (-110)
Chicago Bears	+1.5 (-110)	+105	Ov 44.0 (-110)

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Minnesota favored on the road

Minnesota is a 1.5-point road favorite on Monday night with the OVER/UNDER set at 44 points. The Vikings cruised to a 14-3 record last season before quarterback Sam Darnold self-combusted in a 27-9 Wild Card loss to the Rams.

With Darnold now in Seattle, sophomore QB J.J. McCarthy is set to see his first NFL action on the road at Soldier Field on Monday night. While Justin Jefferson should help make the Michigan man's life easy, left tackle Christian Darrisaw may miss week 1. Third-year receiver Jordan Addison is also out with a suspension.

Caleb Williams' rookie year did not go according to plan.

He's thankful for it. pic.twitter.com/f21oXVtCXG

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 1, 2025

Ben Johnson era begins

The Detroit Lions led the NFL in scoring last year with 33.1 points per game under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Chicago's new head coach is now tasked with jump-starting the career of Caleb Williams following an ugly rookie season. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft suffered a league-high 68 sacks and his 62.5% completion percentage ranked 31st in the NFL.

However, with a beefed up offensive line and an impressive array of weapons such as D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland and Luther Burden, the Bears second-year QB has a shot to become the first 4,000-yard passer in franchise history.

The Brian Flores factor

While it's hard to know how J.J. McCarthy will perform in his first season, the Vikings defense should once again be solid under DC Brian Flores. Minnesota allowed the fourth-fewest points per game (19.9) in the NFL last year.

Kevin O'Connell's club also prioritized the interior of their offensive line in free agency and traded for Jordan Mason to add some punch to their running game.

Vikings' T.J. Hockenson on J.J. McCarthy: He is a lot like Matthew Stafford, a little like Kirk Cousinshttps://t.co/KG0kToPnjb pic.twitter.com/3vNbqdTO8S

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 2, 2025

Historical Betting Trends

Minnesota is 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 matchups against the Bears and have a 68-58-2 all-time record against their longtime NFC North rivals. The Vikings won both meetings in 2024, scoring 30 points in both contests.

Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings Picks

Which offensive genius and sophomore QB combination are you comfortable backing? While this is among the toughest bets of Week 1, we expect J.J. McCarthy to struggle in his first career start in the Windy City.

Take the Bears +1.5 (-110) with the UNDER 44 points.

Chicago Bears to cover vs Vikings

-1.5

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